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THE 

HOME-LIFE 

OF 

BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

ITS  FESTIVALS  AND  FOLK-LORE 


BY 

WILLIAM  HENRY  FURNESS,  3RD,  M.  D. ;  F.  R.  G.  S. 

MBMBER   OP   THE   AMERICAN   PHILOSOPHICAL   SOCIETY;    OP   THE   AMEHICAN   ORIENTAL   SOCIETY; 

DK   LA  SOCIETE    DE  GEOGRAPHIE  ;    PELLOW   OP  THE   ANTHROPOLOGICAL 

INSTITUTE   OF   GREAT   BRITAIN   AND    IRELAND 


PHILADELPHIA 
J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT   COMPANY 

1902 


Copyright,  1902,  by  W.   H.  FuRNESS,  3RD 


Westcott  &  Thomson,  Press  op  J.  B.  Lippincott  Company, 

EUctrotypers,  Phila.  Phila. 


T.JvtrfAfiY 

SAN'J'  <     :'  •  -T^  .  p^ 


PREFACE 


While  to  scenery,  it  is  distance, — and  photography, — which 
lends  enchantment,  it  is,  on  the  contrary,  propinquity  which,  in 
my  experience,  lends  to  the  Borneo  Head-Hunters  and  to  their 
Home-life,  a  charm  which  cannot  be  wholly  dispelled  even  by  the 
skulls  hanging  from  the  rafters  of  their  houses.  After  living 
among  them,  for  months  at  a  time,  an  insight  is  gained  into  their 
individualities  and  peculiarities  which  a  casual  sojourn  can  never 
disclose.  Some,  of  course,  are  ill-tempered,  crotchety,  selfish ; 
others,  again,  are  mild,  gentle,  generous.  The  youths  have  their 
languishing  loves,  which  they  are  eager  to  confide  to  sympathetic 
ears.  The  maidens  are  coy,  or  demure,  or  bashful,  when  their 
lovers  are  near,  and  delight  in  teasing  and  tormenting.  The 
Bornean  mothers  and  fathers  think  their  babies  the  prettiest  that 
ever  were  born  ;  and  the  young  boys  are  as  boyish  as  school- 
boys here  at  home,  and  are  quite  as  up  to  all  mischief. 

It  is  so  much  easier  to  descend  than  it  is  to  rise  in  what  we 
call  civilization,  that,  before  a  month  is  passed  in  a  Kayan  or  a 
Kenyah  house,  the  host  and  hostess,  who,  on  first  sight,  seemed 
to  be  uncouth  savages,  frightfully  mutilated  as  to  eyes,  ears,  and 
teeth,  are  regarded  as  kind-hearted,  devoted  friends.  It  becomes 
well-nigh  impossible  to  realise  that  they  cannot  add  the  simplest 
of  sums  without  the  aid  of  fingers  and  toes ;  and  that  Caesar, 
Shakespeare,  and  Washington  are  to  them  meaningless,  unpro- 
nounceable words. 

Their  honesty,  (in  a  twelve  months'  residence  the  only  thing 
stolen  from  me  was  a  tooth-powder  bottle,)  their  simple,  child- 
like nature,  their  keen  interest  in  the  pursuit  of  the  moment,  and 
their  vivacious  excitability,  place  them  in  advance  of  any  '  sav- 
ages '  with  whom  I  have  ever,  in  my  many  wanderings,  come  in 
contact. 

The  greater  part  of  my  time  in  Borneo  was  spent  among  the 
Kayans  and  Kenyahs  of  the  Baram  district  of  Sarawak  ;  con- 


vi  PREFA  CE 

sequently,  in  the  following  pages  I  have  barely  mentioned  the 
Dayaks,  (or  Ibans,  as  they  call  themselves,)  or  any  of  the  coast 
tribes,  of  whose  home-life  I  saw  comparatively  little ;  so  much 
has  been  already  written  about  these  tribes  that  I  am  jealous  for 
my  friends  of  the  far  interior. 

I  have  refrained  from  giving  dates,  or  details,  as  to  the  height 
of  the  thermometer,  or  as  to  my  personal  comfort  or  health,  or 
as  to  the  number  of  men  who  carried  my  luggage,  or  what  I  had 
for  breakfast,  or  dinner, — items  extremely  important  at  the  time, 
but  of  no  permanent  or  public  interest  whatsoever. 

I  have  attempted  to  portray  the  impressions  made  on  a  mind 
which  I  endeavoured  to  keep  wholly  unprejudiced,  and  even  free 
from  all  tendency  to  despise  as  gross  superstition  that  which  by 
the  natives  is  deemed  holy  and  religious.  I  do  not  wish  to  for- 
get that  I  was  received  as  an  honoured  guest  in  Kayan  Long- 
houses  ;  it  is  a  sorry  payment  to  vilify  my  hosts.  Rather  let  me 
throw  what  charm  I  may  over  the  daily  round  of  the  natives' 
dateless  life. 

To  His  Highness  Rajah  Brooke,  I  owe  sincere  thanks,  not 
alone  for  his  kind  hospitality,  but  for  facilities  in  freely  visiting 
all  parts  of  his  admirably  governed  territory,  and  for  his  liberal 
permission  to  collect  Ethnological  and  Natural  History  material. 

It  is  with  pleasure  that  I  acknowledge  my  indebtedness  to 
the  Rajah's  Resident,  Dr.  Charles  Hose,  for  valuable  informa- 
tion on  innumerable  points,  for  a  genial  hospitality  of  many 
weeks,  and  for  the  opportunities  to  visit  the  people  of  his 
District,  '  my  people,'  as  he  likes  to  call  them,  whose  manners 
and  customs  he  knows  so  thoroughly,  and  whose  interests  he 
guards  with  so  much  vigilance  and  efficiency, 

W.  H.  F.  3rd. 
July,  1902. 


CONTENTS 

FAGB 

HOME-LIFE I 

CEREMONIES  AT  THE  NAMING  OF  A  CHIEF'S  SON 16 

EARLY  TRAINING  OF   A  HEAD-HUNTER 54       *^ 

A  WAR  EXPEDITION 67 

'JAWA'  OR  PEACE-MAKING 97 

PERSONAL  EMBELLISHMENT 146 

PERMANTONG,  OR  LALI,  A  BORNE  AN  SPECIES  OF  TABOO      .160 

THE  PUNANS 170 

TUBA  FISHING 185 

vii 


( 


THE  TATTOOING  OF  A  KAYAN   MARRIED  WOMAN 


.V. ~ 


-1.  .    -^       ■•^■s*(a 


ABAN  AVIT'S  HOUSE,   ON   THE  TINJAR 

THE  CLUSTER  OF  STAKES  AND  POLES  IN  THE  FOREGROUND  IS  A  CHARM 
TO  DRIVE  AWAY  THE  EVIL  SPIRITS  OF  ILLNESS.  IN  THE  LEFT  CORNER  OF 
THE  PICTURE,  THE  TALLER  POLE,  DECORATED  V\^ITH  STRIPS  OF  PALM 
LEAVES,  IS  THE  RECORD  OF  A  SUCCESSFUL  HEAD-HUNT.  THE  PHOTOGRAPH 
SHOWS    ABOUT    TWO-THIRDS    OF    THE    LENGTH    OF    THE    HOUSE. 


THE 

HOME-LIFE    OF    BORNEO    HEAD-HUNTERS 
ITS    FESTIVALS  AND    FOLK-LORE 


HO  ME- LIFE 


The  Houses  in  which  the  Borneo  people  Hve  are  the  outcome 
of  a  life  of  constant  apprehension  of  attacks  from  head-hunters. 
In  union  alone  is  strength.  Surrounded  by  a  dense  jungle  which 
affords,  night  and  day,  up  to  the  very  steps  to  their  homes,  a 
protecting  cover  for  enemies,  the  Borneans  live,  as  it  were,  in 
fighting  trim,  with  their  backs  to  a  hollow  square.  A  village  of 
scattered  houses  would  mean  the  utmost  danger  to  those  on  the 
outskirts  ;  consequently,  houses  which  would  ordinarily  form  a 
village  have  been  crowded  together  until  one  roof  covers  them 
all.  The  rivers  and  streams  are  the  only  thoroughfares  in  the 
island,  and  village  houses  are  always  built  close  to  the  river- 
banks,  so  that  boats  can  be  quickly  reached ;  this  entails  another 
necessity  in  the  construction  of  the  houses.  The  torrents  during 
the  rainy  season,  which,  on  the  western  half  of  the  island,  lasts 
from  October  till  Februar>%  swell  the  rivers  with  such  suddenness 
and  to  such  an  extent  that  in  a  single  night  the  water  will  over- 
flow banks  thirty  feet  high,  and  convert  the  jungle  round  about 
into  a  soggy  swamp ;  unless  the  houses  were  built  of  stone  they 
would  be  inevitably  swept  away  by  the  rush  of  water;  where- 
fore the  natives  build  on  high  piles  and  live  above  the  moisture 
and  decay  of  the  steaming  ground. 

Beneath  the  houses  is  the  storage-place  for  canoes  that  are 
leaky  and  old,  or  only  half  finished  and  in  process  of  being 
sprung  and  spread  out  into  proper  shape  before  being  fitted  up 
with  gunwales  and  thwarts.  It  is  generally  a  very  disorderly 
and  noisome  place,  where  all  the  refuse  from  the  house  is  thrown, 
and  where  pigs  wallow,  and  chickens  scratch  for  grains  of  rice 

1 


2  HO  ME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

that  fall  from  the  husking  mortars  in  the  veranda  overhead. 
Between  the  houses  and  the  river's  bank, — a  distance  of  a  hun- 
dred yards,  more  or  less, — the  jungle  is  cleared  away,  and  in  its 
place  are  clumps  of  cocoanut,  or  Areca  palms,  and,  here  and  there, 
small  storehouses,  built  on  piles,  for  rice.  In  front  of  the  houses 
of  the  Kayans  there  are  sure  to  be  one  or  two  forges,  where  the 
village  blacksmiths,  makers  of  spear-heads,  swords,  hoes,  and  axes, 
hold  an  honorable  position.  In  the  shade  of  the  palms  the  boat- 
builders'  sheds  protect  from  the  scorching  heat  of  the  sun  the 
great  logs  that  are  being  scooped  out  to  form  canoes ;  the  ground 
is  covered  with  chips,  from  which  arises  a  sour,  sappy  odor  that 
is  almost  pungent  and  is  suggestive  of  all  varieties  of  fever,  but 
is  really  quite  harmless.  In  the  open  spaces  tall  reedy  grass 
grows,  and  after  hard  rains  a  misstep,  from  the  logs  forming  a 
pathway,  means  to  sink  into  black,  oozy  mud  up  to  the  knees. 

Just  on  the  bank  of  the  river  there  are  usually  four  or  five 
posts,  about  eight  feet  high,  roughly  carved  at  the  top  to  repre- 
sent a  man's  head ;  these  have  been  put  up  after  successful  head- 
hunting raids,  and  on  them  are  tied  various  fragments  of  the 
enemy, — a  rib,  or  an  arm,  or  a  leg  bone  ;  these  offerings  drive 
away  the  evil  Spirits  who  might  wish  to  harass  the  inmates  of 
the  house,  and  they  also  serve  as  a  warning  to  enemies  who 
may  be  planning  an  attack.  Such  remnants  of  the  enemy  are 
held  by  no  means  in  the  same  veneration  with  which  the  heads, 
hung  up  in  the  house,  are  regarded ;  after  the  bits  of  flesh  and 
bone  are  tied  to  the  posts  they  are  left  to  the  wind  and  rain,  the 
pigs  and  chickens. 

Not  a  few  of  the  Kayan  and  Kenyah  houses  have  been 
enlarged  and  built  out  at  both  ends  until  they  shelter  from  six 
hundred  to  a  thousand  persons,  and  are  possibly  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  long ;  this  statement  seems  to  verge  on  a  '  traveller's  tale,' 
but  it  must  be  remembered  that  these  houses  are  really  villages 
of  a  single  street,  the  veranda  being  a  public  thoroughfare,  unob- 
structed throughout  its  whole  length,  in  front  of  the  private 
family  rooms.  From  the  ground  to  the  veranda  a  notched  log 
serves  as  steps,  and  it  takes  no  little  practice  to  enable  a 
clumsy,  leather-shod  foreigner  to  make  a  dignified  entrance  into 
a  Borneo  house.  The  notches  in  the  log  are  worn  very  smooth 
by  the  constant  tread  of  bare  feet,  and,  as  there  is  no  door-mat 


POSTS  ERECTED  IN   FRONT  OF  A   HOUSE  AFTER  A  HEAD-HUNT 

ON    THESE     POSTS    ARE     HUNG     SMALL     FRAGMENTS    OF    THE    ENEMY.      TH 
CARVED    FACES    RECORD    THE    NUMBER    OF    HEADS    TAKEN. 


HOME-LIFE  3 

below  for  muddy  feet,  the  shallow  notches  are  often  coated  with 
a  thin  and  treacherous  layer  of  slime ;  foreigners  generally  enter 
a  Kayan  house  on  all  fours,  giving  to  the  natives  an  astounding 
idea  of  occidental  manners.  To  the  natives,  however,  these  steps 
present  no  difficulties, — no  matter  how  steep  or  slimy  the  log, 
they  seem  to  get  a  firm  hold  on  the  edge  of  the  notches  with 
their  prehensile  toes,  and,  even  with  heavy  loads  on  their  backs, 
walk  up  as  freely  as  if  on  level  ground.  The  piles  on  which  the 
large  houses  rest  are  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  high,  and  often  two 
and  a  half  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base ;  in  some  few  cases  they 
are  carved  with  grotesque  figures  of  human  heads,  or  convention- 
alised representations  of  monkeys,  crocodiles,  and  snakes. 

In  the  days  before  the  humanising  influence  of  Rajah  Brooke's 
government  had  spread  to  the  Kayans,  and  Kenyahs,  and  tribes 
living  in  the  central  highlands,  it  was  a  preliminary  custom,  in 
building  a  house,  to  thrust  into  the  first  excavation  wherein  the 
heavy,  up-river,  corner  post  was  to  rest,  a  young  slave  girl  alive, 
and  the  mighty  post  was  then  planted  on  her  bod)%  crushing  out 
her  life  as  a  propitiatory  offering  to  the  demons  that  they  should 
not  molest  the  dwelling.  Happily,  this  custom  has  been  abolished, 
and  in  houses  now  built,  instead  of  a  girl,  a  pig  or  a  fowl  has 
been  substituted.  I  regret  to  add  that  in  the  house  of  Tama 
Bulan,  wherein  we  lived  for  some  time,  the  earlier  custom  had 
been  followed. 

The  roofs  of  the  houses  are  partly  thatched  and  partly 
shingled.  The  shingles  are  hewn  out  of  '  Billian,'  a  species  of 
iron-wood  which  stands  for  years,  without  decay,  the  alternate 
change  from  damp  to  dry  heat ;  each  one  has  a  square  hole  at 
its  upper  end,  through  which  passes  the  strip  of  rattan  where- 
with it  is  tied  to  the  frame  of  the  roof  The  thatching  is  of 
palm  leaves  doubled  over  a  stick  five  feet  long  and  then  bound 
on  the  roof,  overlapping  like  shingles ;  several  layers  of  these 
palm-leaf  tiles  make  a  perfectly  tight  roof,  and  one  that  may 
be  quickly  repaired.  In  building  a  Borneo  house  not  a  nail  is 
used  and  but  very  few  pegs  ;  all  beams  and  cross-ties  are  either 
roughly  mortised  and  bound  together,  or  else  merely  tied  one  on 
top  of  the  other  with  rattan  or  with  long  strips  of  fibrous  bark ; 
even  the  planks  of  the  floor  or  walls  are  not  pegged,  but  are  tied 
to  one  another  and  laced  to  the  joists. 


4  HO  ME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

In  selecting  the  site  for  a  house,  before  so  much  as  a  twig  of 
the  jungle  is  cleared  away,  there  are  always  extreme  and  pro- 
longed pains  taken  to  discover,  through  '  Omen  birds,'  the  temper 
of  the  evil  Spirits  of  that  locality, — to  a  Kayan  there  are  no  such 
things  as  beneficent  Spirits.  Until  this  temper  is  definitely  dis- 
covered the  whole  household  is  under  a  '  permantong,'  or 
taboo,  and  may  not  leave  its  quarters,  whatever  these  quarters 
may  be,  be  they  the  old  house  or  a  temporary  shelter. 

This  taboo  lasts  many  days, — ten  days  perhaps, — during  which 
certain  old  men  who  know  the  habits  of  omen  birds  and  omen 
animals  make  frequent  trips  into  the  surrounding  jungle  to  ob- 
serve whether  the  red  hawk  fly,  or  whether  the  little  honey-sucker 
bird,  (called  the  '  Isit,')  chirp  to  them,  on  the  right  or  on  the  left  of 
their  path.  Finally,  they  must  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  barking 
deer,  and  then  the  Avelfare  of  the  house  is  assured.  As  soon  as 
one  of  these  favorable  omens  is  seen  the  hunters  build  a  fire, — 
a  signal  to  the  birds  and  animals,  conveying  thanks  for  favors 
received.  When  the  last  of  these  omens  has  been  seen,  then, 
and  not  until  then,  is  the  permantong  over  and  the  clearing  for 
the  house  begun,  and  all  hands  turn  in  to  help. 

The  veranda,  or  main  street,  of  these  houses  is  where  all 
public  life  goes  on  ;  here,  in  the  smoky  atmosphere  that  pervades 
the  place,  councils  of  war  and  peace  are  held,  feasts  spread,  and  a 
large  part  of  the  daily  work  performed.  It  is  seldom  a  very 
bright  or  cheery  place  ;  the  eaves  come  down  so  low  that  the 
sunlight  penetrates  only  at  sunrise  and  sunset,  and  the  sooty 
smoke  from  the  fires  turns  all  the  woodwork  to  a  sombre, 
mahogany  hue.  The  floor  is  usually  of  broad,  hewn  planks, 
loosely  laid  upon  the  joists,  with  little  care  whether  they  fit  close 
or  warp  and  bend  up  out  of  shape,  leaving  wide  cracks  through 
which  a  small  child  might  fall ;  they  show  plainly  the  cuts  of  the 
adze,  but  they  soon  become  polished  by  the  leathery  soles  of 
bare  feet  shuffling  over  them  from  dawn  till  dark.  At  intervals 
of  perhaps  fifty  feet  are  fireplaces, — merely  shallow  boxes  about 
five  feet  square  by  six  inches  deep,  filled  with  flat  stones  imbedded 
in  clay ;  herein  are  built  the  fires  that  give  light  at  night  and  add 
to  sociability  at  all  times  ;  no  council  or  friendly  talk  is  com- 
plete without  the  crackle  of  a  fire  to  enliven  it  and  to  keep  away 
evil  Spirits.     Of  course,  no  chimney  carries  olT  the  smoke,  which 


THE   VERANDA   OF   ABUN'S   HOUSE   AT    LONG  LAMA 
ON    THE   BARAM. 

THE  ROW  OF  SKULLS  HANGS  FROM  A  BEAM  SUSPENDED  OPPOSITE  TO  THE 
DOOR  INTO  THE  CHIEF'S  ROOM  ;  BENEATH  THE  SKULLS  IS  A  CLAY  AND  STONE 
HEARTH  WHEREON  A  FIRE  IS  LIGHTED  EVERY  EVENING,  NOT  ONLY  TO  GIVE 
LIGHT,  BUT  ALSO  "TO  DIFFUSE  A  PLEASANT  WARMTH  ABOUT  THE  SKULLS." 
THE  WALL  OF  PLANKS,  EXTENDING  DOWN  THE  RIGHT  SIDE  OF  THE  PHOTO- 
GRAPH DIVIDES  THE  FAMILY  ROOMS  FROM  THE  PUBLIC  VERANDA.  THE  BOYS 
ON  THE  RIGHT  ARE  SEATED  UPON  ONE  OF  THE  LARGE  MORTARS  WHEREIN 
THE  RICE  IS  HUSKED.  ON  THE  LEFT  IS  THE  USUAL  CROWD  OF  LOUNGERS 
SEATED  UPON  THE  LOW  PLATFORM  WHICH  EXTENDS  ALMOST  THE  WHOLE 
LENGTH    OF    THE    HOUSE    BELOW    THE    EAVES. 


HOME-LIFE 


5 


must  disperse  as  best  it  can  among  the  cobweby  beams  over- 
head, after  giving  a  fresh  coat  of  soot  to  the  row  or  bunch  of 
trophy-skulls  that  hangs  in  the  place  of  honor  opposite  to  the 
door  of  the  chief's  room.  The  odor  of  burning  resinous  wood, 
mingled  with  other  ingredients,  saturates  the  veranda,  and  in  after- 
life the  smell  of  musty  garret,  cedar-wood  chests,  and  brush-wood 
burning  in  the  autumn  instantly  recalls  the  veranda  of  a  Borneo 
long-house.  It  must  be  confessed  that  occasionally  there  mingles 
with  this  aromatic  odor  a  tang  of  wet  dog,  wallowing  pig,  and 
ancient  fish,  but  then,  after  all,  these  are  not  peculiar  to  Borneo. 

There  is  no  ceiling  to  a  Borneo  long-house ;  above  the  plank 
walls  that  divide  the  private  rooms  from  the  veranda,  and  from 
one  another,  the  space  is  open  to  the  ridge-pole.  Across  the 
rafters  are  placed,  higgledy-piggledy,  spare  boards,  supplies  of 
dried  rattan,  and  long  rolls  of  bamboo  matting;  here  and  there, 
hang  rice  baskets,  hampers,  wicker  fish-traps  of  all  sizes ;  and 
sometimes  every  available  space  is  hung  with  bunches  of  bananas, 
which  must  be  gathered  green  and  ripened  in  the  house,  to  keep 
them  from  the  depredations  of  monkeys  and  fruit-bats.  At  inter- 
vals along  the  roof  are  trap-doors  of  palm-leaf  thatch,  which  can 
be  lifted  and  supported  on  a  pole  to  admit  more  light  and  air. 
[For  the  accompanying  photograph  as  many  of  these  trap-doors 
as  possible  had  been  raised  in  order  to  get  enough  light,  and  just 
over  the  row  of  skulls  several  shingles  had  been  taken  off.  In 
the  photograph  this  row  of  forty  or  fifty  skulls  hanging  from  a 
beam  begins  with  one  that  looks  like  a  gourd,  on  the  left.] 

Along  the  whole  length  of  the  veranda  at  its  outer  edge, 
under  the  eaves,  is  a  railing,  or  fence,  of  poles  and  boards  tied  to 
the  upright  supports  of  the  roof;  when  parents  in  the  household 
are  unusually  careful  of  their  children,  this  fence  extends  from 
the  floor  to  the  eaves,  which  are  here  only  about  four  feet  above 
the  floor,  but  usually  this  safeguard  is  only  two  poles  about  six 
inches  apart,  and  serves  as  a  rest  for  the  backs  of  men  when  they 
sit  on  the  wide  platforms,  which  are  raised  about  a  foot  above  the 
floor  and  extend  nearly  all  along  this  lightest  and  airiest  part  of 
the  house.  These  platforms  are  of  much  smoother  planks  than 
the  floor,  and  are  often  of  single  huge  slabs  of  wood  from  the 
buttress-like  roots  of  the  'Tapang'  tree.  To  make  these  lounging- 
places  still  more  luxurious,  mats  of  fine  rattan  or  bamboo  strips 


6  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

are  spread  upon  them,  and  then  a  Bornean  desires  no  more  com- 
fortable place  whereon  to  sit  by  day  or  to  recline  by  night,  unless, 
perchance,  it  be  a  dry  sandy  river-bank,  above  the  rapids,  where 
are  no  crocodiles,  mosquitoes,  nor  pestiferous  black-flies,  and 
where  grow  gigantic  Caladiums,  whereof  a  single  leaf  is  large 
enough  to  cover  his  entire  body  and  afford  him  a  protection 
from  the  rain,  as  impervious  as  a  rubber  blanket.  These  low 
platforms,  especially  in  front  of  the  chief's  door,  [which  in  the 
photograph  is  directly  opposite  the  row  of  skulls  just  mentioned,] 
are  the  places  where  men  congregate  after  nightfall  to  gossip 
and  smoke  round  the  fire,  which  is  here  needed  to  dispel  dark- 
ness, dampness,  and  evil  Spirits.  Diversion  is  often  created  by 
one  of  their  number,  who,  more  self-sacrificing  than  the  rest, 
goes  through  the  violent  antics  of  a  war-dance,  or  sings  long, 
rambling  songs  about  the  valorous  deeds  of  Tokong,  who 
originated  head-hunting,  or  of  some  other  warrior  who  gained 
the  blissful  regions  of  '  Apo  Legan '  by  the  slaughter  of  his 
enemies.  Whatever  the  theme, — and  the  themes  are  generally 
legends  or  familiar  stories, — the  details  are  supplied  by  the  imagi- 
nation of  the  singer,  who  composes  them  on  the  spur  of  the 
moment,  while  the  chorus  is  singing  the  last  two  or  three  words 
of  the  verse,  followed  by  '  Ara  Wi  Wi,  Ara ! '  a  meaningless 
refrain,  like  our  own  '  Tooral,  looral,'  although  I  am  afraid  that 
in  a  former  publication  I  unwittingly  gave  the  impression  that 
its  translation  was  '  Sleep  dear  little  one,  sleep.'  * 

To  these  songs  an  accompaniment  is  often  played  upon  an 
instrument,  known  among  certain  Kayans  and  Kenyahs  as  a 
Kaluri  or  Kaleei'i  or  Kaludi.  It  is  probably  of  Chinese  origin ; 
substantially  the  same  instrument  is  used  in  China  and  in  the 
countries  bordering  thereon  to  the  northward  and  westward.  I 
saw  almost  an  exact  counterpart  of  the  Borneo  Kaluri  played 
by  the  Naga  tribes  inhabiting  the  hills  near  the  Burmese  border. 
It  consists  of  a  bottle-shaped  gourd  with  six  hollow  reed  pipes 
set  into  the  body  of  it ;  a  finger-hole  is  cut  in  each  pipe  at  such 
a  place  that  the  fingers  of  both  hands  while  holding  the  instru- 
ment can  cover  all  the  holes.  The  middle  reed  is  the  longest, 
and  is  therefore  the  bass  ;  it  has  no  finger-hole,  but  its  tone  is 
subdued  by  a  movable  cap  at  the  end ;  the  neck  of  the  gourd  forms 

*  See  Folk-lore  in  Boyneo,  p.  29. 


JUNGLE  IN  THE   LOW  COUNTRY  NEAR  THE  BARAM  FORT 

THE    LARGE    LOG    IN    THE    FOREGROUND     HAD    BEEN    ROUGHLY    HEWN    F='OR 
MAKING    A    CANOE,     BUT    QN    ACCOUNT    OF    A     WARNING    FROM     AN    OMEN-BIRD 

WAS    ABANDONED. 


HO  ME- LIFE  J 

the  mouth-piece.  The  music  of  a  Kaluri  somewhat  resembles 
that  of  organ  pipes,  perhaps  sHghtly  nasal  in  timbre,  but  having 
an  impressive  charm  withal  when  heard  amid  native  surround- 
ings, in  the  dim,  smoky  atmosphere  of  a  Borneo  long-house  at 
night,  when  light  from  the  flickering  fire  accentuates  the  harsh 
lines  in  the  faces  of  the  natives  grouped  about  the  performer,  and 
where  eyes,  robbed  of  the  softening  effect  of  lashes  and  eyebrows, 
glitter  fiercely,  and  where  brass  studs  glisten  in  pointed  and 
blackened  teeth,  and  where  carnivorous  ferocity  and  alertness 
is  imparted  to  the  men's  faces  by  the  upturned  tiger-cat's  teeth 
in  their  ears, — all  these  so  intensify  the  relentless,  recurring, 
savagely  persistent  minor  key  of  the  Kaluri  that  dim  question- 
ings are  stirred  whether  or  not,  after  all,  bloodshed  be  not  the 
noblest  aim  in  life  and  the  blackened  and  battered  skulls  overhead 
be  not  glory's  highest  prize.  Music  hath  charms  to  soothe, — 
Kaluri  music  hath  charms  to  make, — a  savage  breast. 

In  the  verandas  of  the  Kayan  houses  there  are  always  large 
wooden  mortars  wherein  rice  is  hulled ;  from  morning  until 
night  there  is  always  to  be  heard,  somewhere  in  the  length  of  the 
house,  the  rhythmical  thumping  that  betokens  that  young  girls 
are  at  their  everlasting  task  of  threshing,  hulling,  and  winnowing 
the  rice  for  the  daily  repast.  The  rice  mortars  are  cut  from 
large  logs  of  wood,  and  are  somewhat  prismatic  in  shape,  usually 
five  or  six  feet  in  length  by  two  or  three  feet  wide  on  the  upper 
surface ;  they  rest  upon  a  base  not  more  than  a  foot  wide,  [as  in 
the  photograph,  where,  on  the  right,  some  boys  are  sitting  on  the 
edge  of  a  mortar,]  but  are  made  firm  by  stout  poles  that  are  set 
into  them  and  extend  through  the  flooring  to  the  ground  below, 
and  also  by  strong  braces  that  are  pegged  to  the  house  beams 
above.  The  upper,  broad  surface  of  these  mortars  is  slightly 
concave,  and  is  divided  into  two  or  more  sections,  each  with  a 
round  pit  six  inches  deep  in  the  centre.  In  husking  the  rice, 
these  pits  are  filled  with  the  grains,  and  then  two,  or  sometimes 
four,  girls,  standing  upon  the  broad  top,  pound  the  rice  in  the  pit 
with  wooden  pestles  five  or  six  feet  long,  which  they  hold  at  the 
middle  with  both  hands.  The  motion  that  they  adopt  is  exceed- 
ingly graceful ;  they  stand  with  the  heels  together,  and  lift  the 
pole  or  pestle  perpendicularly  above  their  heads  as  high  as  the}- 
can  reach,  then,  bending  the  body  at  the  hips  and  swinging  the 


8  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

arms  down,  they  jam  the  pestle  into  the  rice  pit ;  as  they  raise 
the  pestle  again  for  another  stroke  they  put  one  foot  forward  to 
push  back  into  the  pit  the  grains  that  may  have  jumped  out  on 
the  flat  surface  of  the  mortar.  When  thus  pounding,  the  young 
girls  keep  perfect  time  with  one  another,  the  poles  never  clash, 
and  each  girl  brushes  back,  first  with  one  foot,  then  with  the 
other,  the  grains  she  jostles  out,  so  that  when  they  pound  fast 
the  motion  becomes  almost  a  dance.  Not  infrequently  the  pestles 
are  ornamented  at  their  upper  end  with  several  sliding  rings  or  a 
sliding  block  that  jingles  when  the  pestle  strikes  ;  this  rhythm 
and  this  jingle  impart  some  alleviation  to  the  tedious  task. 
When  the  husks  are  all  beaten  off,  the  chaff  is  winnowed  out  by 
tossing  the  grains  and  catching  them  again  and  again  upon  a 
flat  basket.  The  task  of  hulling  rice  falls  exclusively  to  the 
women  and  girls  ;  they  begin  it  when  they  are  so  small  that  they 
can  barely  lift  the  pestle,  and,  once  started  in  proficiency,  the  task 
becomes  an  element  of  their  life,  and  their  winnowing-baskets  are 
hung  as  symbols  of  industry  on  their  graves. 

In  the  accompanying  photograph  of  a  veranda,  the  coffin- 
shaped  box  hanging  on  the  wall  on  the  right  is  a  case  wherein 
war-coats  are  kept,  so  that  the  goat-skin  and  feathers  whereof 
they  are  made  cannot  be  eaten  by  hungry  dogs.  The  photo- 
graph does  not  give  an  absolutely  correct  idea  of  the  daily 
appearance  of  a  veranda ;  there  is  only  one  dog  to  be  seen, — 
there  should  be  at  least  a  dozen.  The  exposure  had  to  last  so 
long  that,  lest  the  dogs  should  jar  the  camera,  we  had  them  all 
driven  down  the  notched  log  to  the  ground,  and  then  the  log 
was  turned  wrong  side  up,  so  that  they  could  not  return.  (We 
tried  this  method  of  getting  rid  of  the  dogs  once  at  night 
when  they  were  particularly  troublesome  and  quarrelsome,  and 
seemed  to  prefer  our  bodies  to  any  other  couch,  but  the  crafty 
curs  knew  an  adequate  revenge  ;  as  soon  as  they  found  them- 
selves locked  out  they  made  night  hideous  with  concerted  and 
disconcerting  baying  at  the  moon,  until  we  were  glad  to  readmit 
them.  Our  leather  shoes  we  always  had  to  tie  high  up  on  the 
rafters  at  night,  or  they  would  have  been  eaten  up,  all  but  the 
soles  and  heels.) 

This  photograph  was  taken  from  a  point  just  opposite  the 
chief's  door,  about  half  way  down  the  length  of  the  veranda. 


KALURI-MUSICAL     INSTRUMENTS. 


In 


HOME-LIFE  9 

The  family  rooms,  even  those  of  the  chief,  are  often  dark  and 
disordered  httle  compartments,  and  in  them  it  is  usual  for  any- 
thing but  quiet  to  reign  ;  the  smallest  of  the  infants  sprawl  on 
the  floor,  the  fowls,  that  have  flown  up  to  steal  the  rice  drying  on 
the  platforms  at  the  back  of  the  house,  squawk  and  cackle,  and 
the  old  women  who  are  relegated  to  culinary  sinecures,  such  as 
rice-boiling,  add  a  mild  confusion  by  whacking  the  dogs  that 
wander  in  and  prowl  about  the  cooking-pots.  The  space  under 
the  eaves,  unHke  that  of  the  veranda,  is  boarded  up  from  floor  to 
roof  with  rough  hewn  planks  ;  the  only  light  is  admitted  through 
small  windows  in  the  planks  or  through  trap-doors  in  the  roof 
Of  course,  there  is  never  a  pane  of  glass  in  the  windows,  and  I 
doubt  that  the  natives  of  the  interior,  or  even  of  the  coast  towns, 
ever  saw  a  glazed  window. 

In  spite  of  the  darkness  of  these  rooms,  there  is,  nevertheless, 
more  industry  in  them  than  is  ever  found  in  the  veranda ;  the 
women  are  really  the  workers  of  the  community,  and  seem  never 
to  sit  absolutely  idle  gossiping,  as  do  the  men  ;  when  the  harvest- 
ing is  finished  and  there  is  no  more  work  out  of  doors,  they  em- 
ploy their  time  in  making  mats  and  baskets  of  rattan  strips,  in 
stringing  beads  into  ornaments  for  war-coats,  in  weaving  cloth  for 
feast-day  garments,  and  in  fashioning  large,  round,  flat  hats  for 
the  next  season's  work  in  the  rice-fields.  During  the  rainy 
season,  the  husbands  and  lovers  seem  to  have  little  to  do  but  sit 
in  the  veranda,  lounging  against  the  railing  at  the  open  space 
under  the  eaves,  whence  they  can  observe  the  river  and  its  inci- 
dents, and  watch  the  smoke  from  their  long  cigarettes  curl 
and  drift  among  the  fronds  of  tall  cocoanut  palms  that  sway 
and  rustle  on  a  level  with  their  faces.  These  are  the  days  when 
war  expeditions  are  planned  and  resolutions  made  to  add  fresh 
heads  to  the  row  already  hanging  in  front  of  the  chief's  door,  and 
thereby  remove  any  taboo  enforced  by  the  death  of  relatives. 
The  men  seldom  linger  in  the  family  rooms  during  the  day,  and 
the  women,  except  when  busy  hulling  the  rice  in  the  big  wooden 
mortars,  spend  no  time  in  the  veranda. 

The  doorway  from  the  veranda  into  the  family  room  opens 
into  a  very  dark  and  narrow  passage,  with  the  partition  wall  of 
the  next  room  on  one  side  and  a  rack  for  fire-wood  and  long 
bamboo  water-bottles  on  the  other.     Possibly  it  is  to  announce 


lO  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

the  coming  of  a  guest  that  the  flooring  of  these  little  entries  is 
always  laid  down  in  such  a  wobbly  fashion,  and  of  logs  and  billets 
of  wood  so  rickety,  that  it  is  impossible  to  walk  upon  it  without 
stumbling  or  an  unseemly  clatter;  whatever  be  the  reason,  such 
is  the  fact,  and  I  never  stepped  over  the  high  threshold  into  the 
dark  of  one  of  these  passages  without  expecting  to  trample  on 
babies  or  to  fall  through  on  the  wallowing  pigs  below. 

The  end  of  the  passage  opens  directly  into  the  middle  of  the 
room,  where  the  floor  is  better  laid  and  made  more  comfortable 
by  the  addition  of  mats.  The  whole  room  is  perhaps  twenty- 
five  feet  square,  but  this  space  is  diminished  by  two  or  three  little 
sleeping-closets  for  the  parents  or  for  the  grown  daughters.  In 
the  right-hand  corner,  near  an  opening  under  the  eaves,  the  floor 
is  raised  a  few  inches,  where  the  sons  or  the  male  slaves  sleep  at 
night,  and  where  the  women  work  at  their  bead-stringing  or  mat- 
making  during  the  day ;  it  is  the  lightest  and  pleasantest  place 
in  the  room.  Against  the  partition  that  divides  the  veranda  from 
the  room  is  the  fireplace,  which  is  merely  a  hearth  of  clay  and 
large  flat  stones,  as  in  the  veranda,  except  that  in  the  centre  are 
three  stones  whereon  the  cooking  pots  rest;  above  is  a  rack, 
just  beyond  the  reach  of  the  flames,  where  firewood  is  kept  dry, 
ready  for  immediate  use,  and  where  scraps  of  pork  may  be  pre- 
served by  the  smoke.  Here  and  there,  on  the  walls,  on  hooks 
made  of  deer  horn  or  of  the  twisted  branch  of  a  tree,  hang  all 
sorts  of  implements  for  farming,  fishing,  and  hunting,  little  hoes 
for  weeding  the  rice-fields,  home-made  axes  called  'biliong,' 
scoop-nets  for  catching  fish  when  the  streams  are  poisoned  with 
Tuba  root,  paddles,  spears,  large  round  sun-hats,  basket-like 
holders  for  the  few  but  valuable  china  plates  used  only  on  feast- 
days,  and  sometimes,  as  a  mural  decoration,  the  warrior's  coat 
and  shield  are  displayed  ;  these  personal  adornments,  however, 
are  usually  kept  in  the  little  sleeping-closets,  or  else  in  a  wooden 
case  attached  to  the  wall  of  the  veranda  just  outside  the  room. 

These  sleeping-closets,  partitioned  off  for  married  couples  or 
for  unmarried  girls  and  widows  to  sleep  in,  are  as  dark  and 
stuffy  as  closely  fitting  planks  can  make  them,  and  the  bed  is 
merely  two  or  three  broad  and  smooth  planks  whereon  a  fine 
rattan  matting  is  spread ;  sometimes  a  roll  of  matting  or  a  bundle 
of  old  cloth  serves  as  a  pillow,  but  more  often  there  is  nothing 


A  FAMILY-ROOM,  OR  LAMIN,  IN  ABUN'S  HOUSE  ON  THE  BARAM. 

BEYOND  THE  MAN  SLEEPING  ON  THE  FLOOR,  IS  THE  FIRE-PLACE;  ABOVE 
IT,  A  RACK  WHEREON  WOOD  IS  KEPT  DRY,  READY  FOR  USE.  ON  THE  LEFT 
OF  THE  FIRE-PLACE  IS  A  DOORWAY  OPENING  INTO  ONE  OF  THE  SMALL 
SLEEPING-CLOSETS  FOR  THE  MARRIED  PEOPLE  OR  FOR  THE  UNMARRIED 
GIRLS.  LEANING  AGAINST  THE  WALL  IS  A  BAMBOO  WATER  PITCHER  WITH 
A  COVER  OF  PALM-LEAF  MATTING;  ABOVE,  HANGS  A  BASKETWORK  CASE 
FOR  HOLDING  CHINA  PLATES.  ON  THE  WALLS  OF  THE  ALCOVE  ARE  HANGING 
SEVERAL  LARGE,  FLAT,  PALM-LEAF  HATS,  A  SCOOP-NET,  AND  A  FLAT  SIEVE 
OF  SPLIT  RATTAN.  THIS  ALCOVE,  WITH  ITS  SLIGHTLY  RAISED  FLOOR,  IS 
THE  SLEEPING-PLACE  FOR  THE  UNMARRIED  MEN  OF  THE  FAMILY,  OR  FOR 
THE    MALE    SLAVES. 


HOME-LIFE  1 1 

but  the  flat  boards.  On  one  occasion,  I  was  ushered  into  the  bed- 
room of  a  Chief's  daughter  who  was  ill  with  the  grippe  and  had 
asked  for  medicine ;  it  was  almost  pathetic  to  note  the  attempt 
that  this  poor  '  first  lady '  had  made  to  adorn  her  little  boudoir. 
By  the  Hght  of  a  sputtering  lump  of  damar  gum,  burning  in  an 
earthen  dish  and  disseminating  mainly  an  aromatic  smell  and 
dense  smoke,  and  only  incidentally  a  flickering  light,  I  could  see 
that  there  had  been  fastened  on  the  walls  bright  pieces  of  gay- 
colored  cloth,  and  over  in  one  corner,  in  a  sort  of  pyramid,  were 
her  '  ladyship's '  best  bead-work  baskets ;  even  ill  as  she  was  she 
called  my  attention  to  them.  She  was  tossing  in  fever  on  the 
most  uncomfortable  bundles  of  coarse  cotton  calico,  (sadly  in 
need  of  washing,)  which  she  had  crumpled  in  folds  to  counter- 
act the  unevennesses  of  her  bed  of  planks.  Grippe  is  intolerable 
enough  when  the  patient  is  surrounded  with  every  comfort,  on  a 
soft  clean  bed  and  in  an  airy  room,  but  the  lowest  depth  of  dis- 
comfort is  reached  when  to  the  fever  are  added  a  sweltering  tropi- 
cal heat  in  a  dark  closet,  the  air  dense  with  damar  smoke  and 
soot,  a  bed  of  hard  boards,  and  never  a  drop  of  ice-water.  Yet 
in  the  midst  of  all  these,  the  girl,  fortunate  in  her  ignorance,  was 
dignified  and  uncomplaining. 

On  all  ordinary  occasions,  the  family  eat  together,  usually 
only  twice  a  day,  morning  and  evening,  in  the  family  room.  In 
the  centre  of  the  room  is  placed  a  large  wooden  dish  piled 
high  with  boiled  rice,  and  then,  as  a  plate  for  each  member  of 
the  family,  is  set  a  piece  of  fresh  banana  leaf,  whereon  are  a  little 
salt  and  a  small  quantity  of  powdered  dried  fish,  highly  odorous; 
this  is  the  usual  bill  of  fare,  but  it  may  be  supplemented  with  a 
sort  of  mush  or  stew  of  fern-frond  sprouts  and  rice,  or  with  boiled 
Caladium  roots  and  roasted  wild  yams.  When  there  is  a  feast 
and  guests  from  neighboring  houses  come  to  dine,  the  meals  are 
spread  in  the  veranda  and  the  menu  is  enlarged  with  pork  and 
chicken,  cooked  in  joints  of  bamboo,  which  have  been  stoppered 
at  both  ends  with  green  leaves,  and  put  in  the  fire  until  they  are 
burnt  through,  when  the  cooking  is  done  to  a  turn. 

All  hands  are  plunged  into  the  common  dish  of  plain  boiled  rice, 
and  it  is  *  excellent  form  '  to  cram  and  jam  the  mouth  as  full  as  it 
will  hold.  It  is,  however,  remarkable  how  deftly  even  little  chil- 
dren can  so  manipulate  the  boiled  rice  before  conveying  it  to  their 


12  HOME-LIFE   OF  BORNEO   HEAD-HUNTERS 

mouths,  that  hardly  a  grain  is  spilt;  it  always  filled  me  with  shame 
when  dining  enfatnille  with  the  Kayans  or  Kenyahs  to  note  what 
a  mess  of  scattered  rice  I  left  on  the  mat  at  my  place,  while  their 
places  were  clean  as  when  they  sat  down;  to  be  sure,  I  did  not 
follow  my  hosts'  example  in  carefully  gathering  up  and  devouring 
all  that  had  fallen  on  the  unswept  floor.  Whenever  I  apologized 
for  my  clumsiness,  their  courtesy  was  always  perfect ;  the  fault 
was  never  attributed  to  me,  but  rather  to  their  poor  food  and  the 
manner  in  which  it  was  served. 

The  long  intervals  between  their  meals  and  the  unsubstantial 
quality  of  their  food  give  them  such  an  appetite  and  force  them 
to  eat  so  voraciously  that  the  usual  welcome  by  a  Kayan  host 
to  his  guests  is,  '  Eat  slowly,'  and  this  admonition  is  unfailingly 
given.  They  seem  to  regard  their  family  meals  as  strictly  private, 
and  would  always  announce  to  us  that  they  were  going  to  eat, — 
possibly  to  give  us  warning  not  to  visit  them  at  that  time,  and 
they  were  also  quite  as  punctilious  to  leave  us  the  moment  that 
our  food  was  served. 

When  any  member  of  a  family  is  ill  and  calls  in  the  services 
of  an  exorciser,  or,  as  they  call  it,  a  '  Dayong,'  the  room  is  placed 
under  a  taboo,  or  permantong,  and  only  members  of  the  family 
may  enter,  and  even  they  are  under  certain  restrictions,  for 
instance,  to  refrain  from  singing  or  playing  musical  instruments, 
and  they  are  debarred  from  eating  meat.  The  sign  of  a  taboo  is 
a  bunch  of  green  leaves  or  a  flat  basket  used  in  winnowing  rice 
tied  to  the  door-post.  If,  by  accident,  a  man  should  violate  this 
taboo,  he  must  pay  a  fine  to  the  owners  of  the  tabooed  room ; 
this  fine  is  usually  a  few  cheap  beads  or  a  china  plate.  They  seem 
to  regard  this  custom  with  such  reverence  that  we  availed  our- 
selves of  its  privileges  whenever  we  wished  for  privacy,  and 
although  the  natives  laughed  at  our  adoption  of  their  customs, 
they  left  us  nevertheless  strictly  alone  when  we  tied  a  basket  or 
a  bunch  of  leaves  in  front  of  our  little  apartment  in  the  veranda. 

Possibly,  this  description  of  Home-Life  in  a  Borneo  household 
would  be  incomplete  without  a  detailed  account  of  its  ordinary 
daily  routine,  which,  as  I  saw  it  during  several  weeks  in  Tama 
Bulan's  house,  is  somewhat  as  follows  : —  * 

*  The  substance  of  the  following  paragraphs  appeared  in  a  Paper  which  I  read 
before  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  1896. 


VERANDA   OF   A    NEWLY    BUILT    IBAN    HOUSE   ON    THE    BAKONG 
RIVER,   A   TRIBUTARY   OF   THE    BARAM. 

THE  SKULLS  ARE  HANGING  NEAR  THE  VERY  END  OF  THE  VERANDA  IN  A 
CLOSE  CLUSTER,  AND  NOT  SUSPENDED  ALONG  A  BEAM.  THE  FLOORING  IS  OF 
STRIPS  OF  THE  STALK  OF  THE  NIBONG  PALM,  INTERLACED  AND  TIED  TO 
THE  BEAMS.  THE  LOV/,  SQUARE  BOX  IN  THE  FOREGROUND  IS  A  HEARTH, 
LINED  WITH  CLAY  AND  FLAT  STONES.  BESIDE  IT  ON  THE  FLOOR,  AND  ALSO 
HANGING  FROM  A  RAFTER  IN  THE  UPPER  LEFT-HAND  CORNER,  ARE  WATER 
GOURDS.  IN  FRONT  OF  THE  DOOR.  LEADING  INTO  ONE  OF  THE  FAMILY- 
ROOMS,  A  WOODEN  RICE  MORTAR  IS  TURNED  UPSIDE  DOWN.  ON  THE 
DOOR  IS  HUNG  A  FLAT  BASKET,  TO  INDICATE  THAT  THE  ROOM  IS  TABOOED 
ON  ACCOUNT  OF  ILLNESS.  BEYOND  THE  RANGE  OF  THE  PHOTOGRAPH  ON 
THE  LEFT,  AND  EXTENDING  OUT  INTO  THE  OPEN  AIR  IS  A  WIDE  PLATFORM 
OF  SPLIT  BAMBOO,  WHEREON  THE  RICE  BEFORE  IT  IS  HUSKED  IS  SPREAD 
OUT   ON    MATS    TO    DRY. 


HOME-LIFE  13 

The  crow  of  a  cock  breaks  the  silence  of  the  night ;  then  a 
dog  rouses  up,  yawns  and  stretches,  and  shakes  off  the  ashes 
of  the  fireplace  where  it  has  been  sleeping,  and  begins  the  daily- 
round  of  quarrels  with  its  companions.  Then  daylight  gradu- 
ally creeps  in  and  a  door  slams  with  a  bang  at  the  far  end  of 
the  house,  where  the  poorer  and  hard-working  people  live ;  a 
woman  with  a  bundle  of  bamboo  water-vessels  slung  on  her 
back  hurries  along  to  the  stairway  down  to  the  river.  She 
looks  just  the  same  as  when  she  went  to  sleep.  Her  dress  is 
the  same  and  her  hair  is  in  a  disordered  tangle,  and  as  she  walks 
her  feet  come  down  heavily  on  the  warped  planks  and  make 
them  rattle,  no  doubt  to  wake  the  lazy  men,  who  sleep  on  and 
let  the  women  make  the  fire  and  get  the  water  while  they 
snooze.  Soon  she  comes  back,  her  hair  dripping  and  glossy, 
and  little  drops  of  water  still  clinging  to  her  skin.  By  this  time 
there  is  quite  a  procession  of  women  going  down  to  bathe  and 
get  the  cooking  water  from  the  river,  and  there  is  a  slamming  of 
doors  and  a  few  wails  from  the  children.  Then  the  men  who 
have  been  sleeping  on  the  raised  platform  along  the  open  space 
below  the  eaves,  unroll  themselves  from  their  shroud-like  cover- 
ings of  cotton  cloth,  once  white,  and  a  little  hum  of  conversation 
springs  up,  possibly  a  comparison  of  dreams,  the  interpretation 
of  which,  as  in  all  uneducated  classes,  has  a  great  bearing  on 
their  daily  life.  The  mother  who  comes  out  with  her  babies  in 
her  arms,  or  sitting  astride  of  her  hips,  knows  nothing  of  our 
custom  of  caressing  with  a  kiss,  but  in  her  maternal  bursts  of 
affection  she  buries  her  face  in  the  neck  of  the  child  and  draws 
in  a  long  breath  through  her  nostrils  ;  in  fact,  she  smells  it.  In 
their  language  the  verbs  to  smell  and  to  kiss  are  the  same.  Then 
down  she  goes  to  the  river  and  takes  the  morning  bath  with  her 
child  in  her  arms,  sometimes  holding  it  by  the  hands  and  letting 
it  kick  out  its  legs  like  a  frog, — the  first  lessons  in  swimming. 
One  by  one  the  men  straggle  off  to  bathe  in  the  river,  and  never 
missed  the  opportunity  of  telling  us  that  they  were  going  to  bathe, 
and  when  they  returned  they  were  also  most  punctilious  in  tell- 
ing us  that  they  had  bathed.  With  all  this  bathing,  however, 
they  are  not  a  clean  people.  Soap  is  unknown  to  them,  and  they 
never  use  hot  water,  consequently  their  skins  have  not  the  soft, 
velvety  appearance  that  constant  bathing  usually  produces.     (We 


14 


HO  ME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 


once  gave  some  of  the  girls  cakes  of  Pears'  soap,  but  they  ate 
them.) 

After  bathing  there  is  a  lull  in  the  activity  of  the  house,  while 
the  married  women  and  young  girls  cook  the  morning  meal  of 
boiled  rice  and  dried  salted  fish. 

Breakfast  over  there  are  always  parties  of  men  and  women 
setting  out  for  the  clearings  where  the  rice  is  planted,  and 
armed  with  a  billiong  (an  adze-Hke  axe,  which  they  use)  and 
their  parang,  and  their  spear,  the  men  go  down  and  get  the  boats 
ready,  and  the  women  follow  after  with  the  paddles,  and  hampers 
to  bring  back  bananas  or  bunches  of  tender,  young  fern-fronds, 
which  they  make  into  a  stew.  Then  the  house  settles  down  to 
the  ordinary  tasks  of  making  large  flat  hats  of  palm  leaves,  dry- 
ing and  flattening  banana  leaves  for  cigarette  wrappers,  or  of 
pounding  the  husks  off  the  rice  by  the  women,  and  sharpening 
spears  or  decorating  parangs  by  the  men  industriously  inclined  ; 
but  the  latter  are  rare.  They  usually  spend  their  time  in  gossip 
with  their  companions  or  merely  sit  and  blink,  soothed  by  long 
draughts  of  smoke  drawn  deep  into  their  lungs  from  the  strong 
Java  tobacco  cigarettes,  which  they  roll  for  themselves.  Men, 
women,  and  children  all  smoke. 

Morning  wears  into  afternoon,  and  then  the  hours  are  given 
up  to  recreation  by  those  who  had  not  gone  in  the  forenoon  to 
the  rice-fields.  Occasionally,  we  sat  on  the  river-bank  and 
watched  from  a  high  bluff  the  young  boys  or  the  young  girls 
playing  in  the  water.  Here  let  me  say  that  we  never  saw  the 
faintest  conscious  immodesty  in  either  the  one  or  the  other.  We 
used  to  sit  lost  in  admiration  at  the  skill  of  the  girls  in  swim- 
ming. It  was  a  sort  of  game  of  tag  that  they  were  always  play- 
ing, only,  instead  of  one  chasing  all,  all  chased  one,  and  this  one 
would  get  off  some  little  distance  from  the  rest  and  then  sud- 
denly disappear  under  water.  Then  the  chase  begins.  All  swim 
as  fast  as  they  can  to  the  spot  where  she  had  vanished,  some 
swimming  with  a  rapid  overhand  stroke,  while  others  swam 
entirely  under  the  water.  Then,  possibly  still  in  front  of  them, 
possibly  far  behind,  up  bobbed  the  girl  who  was  '  it'  shaking 
the  water  from  her  eyes  and  giving  a  shout  of  derision  at  her 
pursuers.  Down  she  went  again  and  the  chase  was  renewed, 
all  under  water,  so  long,  sometimes,  that  the  surface  of  the  river 


HOME- LIFE 


15 


became  perfectly  smooth,  and  no  one  would  have  imagined  that 
in  another  moment  it  would  be  again  bubbling  up  and  dashed 
into  spray  by  a  crowd  of  laughing,  shouting,  black-haired,  merry 
girls.  Back  and  forth,  up  and  down,  they  splashed  from  one  side 
of  the  river  to  the  other,  until  one  of  the  men  called  to  them  from 
the  house  to  stop  their  sport  lest  they  rouse  a  sleeping  crocodile. 
This  put  an  end  to  the  fun.  Another  thing,  which  was  quite  new 
to  us,  was  the  way  in  which  they  could  play  a  sort  of  tune  by 
splashing  their  hands  in  the  water  and  flapping  their  arms  to 
their  sides.  They  stood  in  a  group,  and  by  sinking  their  hands, 
the  back  downward,  in  the  water  and  then  clapping  them  above  the 
water  and  slapping  their  elbows  to  their  sides,  they  produced  a 
series  of  different  sounds,  like  that  of  a  large  stone  dropping  into 
a  deep  pool,  with  a  rhythm  that  was  perfect  and  very  pleasing. 

Afternoon  deepens  into  dusk,  and  the  workers  from  the 
fields  come  home  and  trudge  wearily  up  the  bank  and  disap- 
pear through  the  little  doorways.  Small  flickering  lamps  are 
lit  here  and  there,  and  the  fire  on  the  hearth  disseminates  a 
cheery  glow  and  warms  up  the  row  of  human  skulls  hanging 
in  front  of  the  Chief's  door.  The  veranda  gradually  becomes 
deserted,  even  by  the  dogs,  while  the  families  are  eating  their 
evening  meals  in  their  private  rooms.  The  noisy  flapping  of 
wings  and  cackHng  of  chickens  seeking  their  roosts  for  the  night 
and  the  low,  contented  grunts  of  pigs  beneath  the  house  betoken 
that  the  day's  foraging  is  over. 

After  the  evening  meal  the  men  once  more  lounge  out  in  the 
veranda  and,  grouped  about  the  low,  smouldering  fires,  smoke 
their  long  cigarettes  and  gossip,  or  listen  to  the  drone  of  the 
Kaluri  played  by  one  of  the  youths.  By  eight  or  nine  o'clock 
they  are  all  once  more  wrapped  in  their  coverings  of  cotton 
cloth,  and,  stretched  in  a  row  beneath  the  eaves,  lulled  by  'lisp 
of  leaves  or  ripple  of  rain.' 


CEREMONIES  AT 
THE  NAMING    OF  A    CHIEF'S  SON 

One  day,  during  my  second  visit  to  Borneo,  I  was  sitting  in 
the  veranda  of  a  native's  house  on  the  Tinjar  River,  chatting  and 
gossiping  with  my  host  and  his  household,  when  I  noticed  in  the 
group  a  man  whose  face  was  very  familiar  to  me  and  closely 
associated  with  some  incident  or  other  in  the  year  before ;  I 
looked  at  him  for  a  minute,  and  then  asked  if  he  were  not  the 
man  who  had  so  effectively  helped  us  when  we  were  unable  to 
find  men  to  paddle  our  canoe  down  the  river  from  the  house  of 
deceitful  old  Laki  La.  He  modestly  replied  that  he  was  one 
of  the  men ;  whereupon  I  reiterated  my  gratitude  to  him ;  but, 
unfortunately,  his  name,  once  so  familiar  to  me,  had  quite  escaped 
my  memory,  and,  apologizing  for  my  forgetfulness,  I  asked  him 
what  it  was.  His  countenance  fell ;  he  looked  much  embarrassed 
for  a  moment,  and  then  nudging  the  man  sitting  next  to  him 
looked  from  him  to  me.  His  neighbor  took  the  hint,  and  at 
once  told  me  the  name,  which  was  one  I  had  never  before  heard ; 
I  concluded,  therefore,  that  either  he  or  I  had  mistaken  the  inci- 
dent. A  little  while  afterward  I  happened  to  meet  the  man  again 
when  he  was  alone,  and  being  so  sure  in  my  recollection  of  his 
face,  asked  him  if  that  were  really  his  name  which  had  been  told 
to  me ;  he  assured  me  that  it  was,  but  even  then  I  doubted,  and 
insisted  that  it  was  not  the  name  by  which  I  had  known  him  a 
year  ago.  'You  are  quite  right,  Tuan,'  he  replied,  'but  since 
you  were  here  I  have  been  exceedingly  sick — so  sick  that  the 
evil  Spirits  were  trying  to  make  my  soul  wander  away  from  my 
body  [and  here  his  voice  dropped  to  a  whisper]  ;  so  I  changed 
my  name  ;  now  they  will  not  know  where  to  find  me.'  He 
looked  furtively  on  all  sides,  as  if  afraid  that  the  trick  would  be 
overheard  by  the  Spirits;  it  was  only  after  much  persuasion  and 
repeated  assurances  that  the  Spirits  could  never  harm  him  through 

16 


TAMA   BULAN,  THE  MOST    INTELLIGENT   CHIEF   IN    THE 
BARAM    DISTRICT. 

HE  IS  OF  THE  KENYAN  TRIBE,  AND  LIVES  ON  THE  RATA  RIVER,  ABOUT 
TWO  HUNDRED  MILES  FROM  THE  COAST.  THE  NAME  TAMA  BULAN  MEANS 
'FATHER  OF  MOON,'  AND  WAS  ASSUMED  AFTER  THE  BIRTH  OF  HIS  FIRST 
CHILD.  A    DAUGHTER,   NAMED  'BULAN.'      HIS    PREVIOUS    NAME  WAS  WANG. 


/ 


X 


CEREMONIES  AT  THE  NAMING   OF  A   CHIEF'S  SON 


17 


a  white  man  that  I  induced  him  to  tell  me  his  former  name,  which 
he  did  in  a  timid  whisper  close  to  my  ear.  This  incident,  trifling 
in  itself,  is  valuable,  I  think,  in  that  it  adds  another  to  the  list  of 
instances  recorded  in  Dr.  J.  G.  Frazer's  valuable  Tlie  Golden  Bough 
(vol.  i.,  pp.  404-420),  where  the  utterance  of  a  personal  name  is 
fraught  with  an  unknown  and  deadly  peril.  To  speculate  on  the 
source  of  this  mysterious  dread  is  tempting  enough, — especially 
since  in  theorizing  about  the  beliefs  prevalent  in  the  youth  of  the 
world  there  is  no  one  who  can  contradict.  As  to  its  antiquity 
there  can  be  no  doubt ;  and  that  it  is  well  nigh  universal,  the 
records  of  folk-lore  are  full  of  proof  It  is  sufficient  here  and 
now  to  note  its  existence  among  the  Kayans  and  Kenyahs  in  the 
interior  of  Borneo,  where,  moreover,  this  unwillingness  to  utter 
the  name  of  a  person  extends  to  inanimate  objects.  When  they 
have  planned  a  Tuba  fishing,  nothing  will  induce  them  to  utter 
the  word  for  fish.  A  Kayan,  Kenyah,  or  Punan  never  thinks  of 
saying  that  he  is  going  to  search  for  camphor,  but  that  he  is 
going  to  look  for  the  '  thing  that  smells,'  and  even  this  he  says 
in  a  whisper,  for  fear  the  camphor  crystals  deep  in  their  secret, 
native  home  might  hear  and  elude  him  after  he  had  all  the 
trouble  of  chopping  down  the  tree. 

These  superstitions  connected  with  the  utterance  of  a  name 
are  deeply  rooted  among  the  Borneans,  but  the  interdiction  on 
the  speaking  of  names  of  relatives  is  not  so  extended  as  it  is 
among  some  other  primitive  people,  notably  the  Kaffir  women 
of  South  Africa,  who  may  not  speak  a  word,  or  even  a  word  con- 
taining a  syllable,  resembling  their  husband's  name  or  the  names 
of  any  of  his  male  relatives,  but  must  use  paraphrases  which  do 
not  contain  the  interdicted  syllables.*  Among  the  Kayans  and 
Kenyahs,  as  far  as  I  know,  the  restriction  on  the  utterance  of 
names  of  relatives  extends  only  to  the  fathers-in-law  of  a  married 
couple,  whose  names  must  not  be  mentioned  by  either  the  hus- 
band or  the  wife.  Again,  it  is  most  ill-omened  for  a  son  to  men- 
tion his  dead  father's  name  ;  and,  of  course,  neither  man  nor 
woman  dare  pronounce  their  own  name  ;  this  is  a  downright 
courting  of  all  conceivable  disasters  and  diseases.  It  is  quite 
possible  that  this  unwillingness  to  mention  their  own  name  leads 
them  to  adopt  a  substitution,  which  for  every-day  use  sufficiently 

*J.  G.  Frazer,  T/ic  Golden  Bough,  p.  413. 


[8  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

designates  them.  Thus,  when  a  child  is  born  the  parents  substi- 
tute for  their  own  names  the  name  of  the  child  prefixed  by '  Tama,' 
—father  of, — or  '  Tina,' — mother  of, — a  highly  ingenious  device ; 
the  combination  thus  formed  is  really  no  name  at  all ;  it  is  merely 
a  designation.  On  the  same  principle,  when  wife  or  husband  dies 
the  survivor  is  designated  as  '  Aban/ — widower, — or  *  Ballo,' — 
widow, — of  such  a  one.  The  simple-hearted  folk  evidently 
believe  the  Spirits  to  be  the  very  strictest  of  constructionists, 
and  that  they  pay  no  attention  to  anything  but  the  name  itself, 
pure  and  uncombined ;  to  a  substitution  they  pay  no  heed. 

One  might  suppose  that  under  such  circumstances  it  would 
be  rather  more  convenient,  certainly  far  less  hazardous,  to  have 
no  name  at  all.  But  without  a  name  there  would  be  no  existence, 
— how  could  a  nameless  thing  be  admitted  to  '  Apo  Legan,'  or 
Heaven  ?  The  receiving  of  a  name  is  really  the  starting-point 
of  life ;  and  the  bestowal  of  a  name  by  the  parents  is  probably 
the  most  serious  of  parental  duties,  and  to  be  performed  with 
ceremonies  proportioned  to  their  rank.  So  essential  is  the  cere- 
mony of  naming  that  in  the  enumeration  of  a  family  an  unnamed 
child  is  not  counted ;  and  should  a  child  die  before  the  ceremony 
of  naming,  a  Kayan  or  Kenyah  mother  would  mourn  for  it  no  more 
deeply  than  had  it  been  stillborn.  This  is  true  even  when  an 
unnamed  child  lives  to  be  nearly  a  year  old. 

Children  of  the  labouring  classes  are  named  at  the  completion 
of  what  the  father  considers  a  successful  harvest  of  rice ;  and  the 
day  is  set  for  the  ceremony  when  the  phase  of  the  moon  is 
deemed  auspicious  ;  the  rest  of  the  household,  with  the  exception 
of  the  few  friends  who  assist,  is  undisturbed.  When,  however, 
the  son  of  a  Chief  is  to  be  named,  and  thereby  admitted  into  the 
circle  of  kindred  or  into  humanity,  the  occasion  is  made  a  holiday, 
and  a  feast-day  for  the  whole  community,  and  friendly  households 
far  and  near  for  miles  around  are  summoned  to  attend.  It  was 
on  such  an  occasion  as  this,  that  we.  Dr.  Hiller  and  myself,  had 
the  rare  fortune  to  be  the  visitors  of  Tama  Bulan,  the  most  in- 
fluential Chief  in  the  Baram  District  of  Sarawak. 

We  had  but  recently  come  to  Borneo  when  we  first  met 
Tama  Bulan  at  the  Baram  Fort,  whither  he  had  come  to  attend 
a  peacemaking  and  ratification  of  friendship  with  certain 
Ibans  who   had   recently  moved  into  the  district,  and  also  to 


CEREMONIES  AT  THE  NAMING   OF  A   CHIEF'S  SON      19 

barter  at  the  Bazaar  the  rattans,  raw  gutta-percha,  and  camphor 
that  his  people  had  collected.     We  were  much  impressed  with 
the  sedate  dignity  of  this  inland  Chief  and  the  quiet  demeanor 
of  his  people,  and  greatly  desired  to  become  more  thoroughly 
acquainted  with  them.     As  he  was  sitting  cross-legged  on  the 
veranda  of  Dr.  Hose's  bungalow  and  discussing  the  affairs  of  the 
up-river  people,  he  mentioned  with  pride  that  as  soon  as  he 
reached  home  there  were  to  be  great  feastings  and  ceremonies 
over  the  naming  of  his  only  son.     Here  was  the  chance  of  a  life- 
time could  we  but  induce  him  to  let  us  be  present  during  these 
ceremonies.     We  were  totally  unacquainted  with  Tama  Bulan's 
language, — the  Kenyah, — or  even  with  Malay,  the  Lingua  Franca 
throughout  Borneo  and  the  greater  part  of  the  adjacent  islands, 
— but  what  of  that  ?     Sign  language  is  all  sufficient  at  a  pinch, 
and,  furthermore,  a  vocabulary  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hun- 
dred words  is  soon  acquired,  and,  in  simple  Polynesian  dialects, 
will  prove  adequate  for  all  ordinary  purposes.     I  doubt  if  any 
Caucasian  has  ever  witnessed  these  ceremonies  as  observed  by 
the  Kenyahs  ;  at  any  rate,  as  far  as  I  know,  they  have  never 
been  recorded ;  accordingly,  we  strenuously  urged  Dr.  Hose  to 
obtain  for  us  an  invitation.     When  he,  finally,  with   much  tact, 
told  the  Kenyah  Chief  how  anxious  we  were  to  return  with  him 
and  pay  him  a  visit  in  his  home,  the  proposal  was  listened  to 
with  unusual  gravity.     Tama  Bulan's  keen  black  eyes  studied  us 
very  carefully  from  head  to  foot ;  evidently  he  was  weighing  the 
chances  of  possible  accidents  either  to  us  or  to  his  people.     At 
last  he  broke  silence,  and,  having  in  mind  the  dangerous  rapids 
in  the  river,  his  first  question  was,  '  Can  the  Tuans  \^gcntlcjnc}i'\ 
swim  ?  '     When  assured  that  we  were  adepts  in  that  art,  he  delib- 
erated again  for  a  while,  and  then  asked,  '  How  can  we  get  along 
without  talking  ?  the  Tuans  cannot  speak  my  language,  nor  can 
I  speak  theirs.'     This  objection  was  put  aside  by  Dr.  Hose,  who 
flatteringly  rejoined,  '  Ah,  Tama  Bulan  does  not  know  the  power 
of  the  white  man  as  well  as  I  thought  he  did.     The  Tuans  are 
so   clever  that   in    two   days   they  will  be  able  to  speak  your 
language  as  well   as  you  do  yourself;  everything  is  easy  to  a 
white  man.'     Whereat  Tama   Bulan  smiled  broadly,  and,  after 
another  searching  gaze,  consented  to  let  us  return  with  him, — 
provided  the  government  would  not  hold  him   responsible  for 


20  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

any  accidents.  And  so  it  was  agreed,  and  the  matter  settled. 
But  for  some  time  my  conscience  did  not  acquit  me  of  the 
conviction  that  we  had  forced  ourselves  unwarrantably  on  an 
unwilling  host ;  however,  I  solaced  myself  with  the  cheering 
reflection  that  we  could  amply  recompense  him  at  the  close  of 
our  visit. 

Tama  Bulan  is  a  Chief  of  the  Kenyah  tribe,  and  his  home  is 
between  three  and  four  hundred  miles  in  the  interior  of  the  island, 
on  the  Pata  River,  a  tributary  of  the  Baram.  His  house  is  one 
of  the  largest  and  best  built  in  that  large  district,  and  is,  more- 
over, conducted  on  rigid  principles  of  Kenyah  morality.  Of 
course,  in  such  a  community  theft  is  unknown,  where  every  one 
knows  every  article  of  property  belonging  to  the  others.  Thiev- 
ino;  beincr  thus  eliminated,  one  of  the  strictest  rules  in  Tama 
Bulan's  house  is  that  no  woman,  young  or  old,  shall  frequent  the 
veranda  after  nightfall ;  young  girls  must  remain  in  their  family 
apartments,  and  if  they  have  sweethearts  they  must  entertain 
these  sweethearts  there,  and  not  sit  sentimentally  with  them  in 
convenient  dark  corners,  wdiereof  there  is  no  lack  in  a  veranda. 
Another  of  Tama  Bulan's  rules  is  wisely  sanitary,  namely,  that 
no  rice  may  be  hulled  in  the  veranda ;  the  dust  arising  from  the 
chaff  is  not  only  irritating  to  the  nostrils,  but  is  also  apt  to  pro- 
duce an  itching  rash  on  the  skins  of  young  children  and  infants. 
To  each  family  is  apportioned  a  small  shed  at  the  back  of  the 
house  for  the  threshing  and  hulling  of  the  rice;  and  where, 
moreover,  the  workers  are  to  a  certain  degree  secluded,  and  not 
liable  to  distraction  and  idleness  as  they  would  be  in  a  veranda. 

Tama  Bulan  himself  is  one  of  the  best  types  of  a  Bornean 
Chief.  Although  only  about  five  or  six  years  ago  he  was  a  pas- 
sionate head-hunter  (and  is  still,  I  believe,  in  his  heart  of  heart, 
having  been  carefully  and  religiously  brought  up  by  his  parents), 
he  is  now  a  genuinely  loyal  and  highly  valuable  subject  to  Rajah 
Brooke,  and  has  been  made  a  member  of  the  '  Council  Negri,'  a 
legislative  body  composed  of  the  Rajah,  of  the  English  Resident 
Officers  of  the  first  class,  of  several  of  the  most  influential  Malays 
in  Kuching,  the  capital  of  Sarawak,  and  of  three  or  four  of  the 
most  trustworthy  and  intelligent  of  the  native  Chiefs.  This 
Council  Negri,  one  of  the  admirable  devices  of  that  wise  legis- 
lator. Rajah  Brooke,  meets  once  a  year  to  discuss  what  might  be 


THE  HANDLE  OF  A  PARANG,  OR  SHORT  SWORD,  CARVED  OUT  OF  DEER'S 
HORN,  AND  DECORATED  WITH  TUFTS  OF  HUMAN  HAIR  AND  WHITE  GOAT'S 
HAIR.  THE  DESIGN  IS  CALLED  "KOHONG  KALUNAN— A  MAN'S  HEAD,  BE- 
CAUSE   IT    IS    COMPOSED    OF    SEVERAL    GROTESQUE    FACES. 


CEREMONIES  AT  THE  NAMING   OF  A    CHIEF'S  SON     2 1 

termed  national  affairs,  and  to  lay  before  the  Rajah  all  complaints 
or  suggestions. 

Our  host,  with  whom  we  became  eventually  intimately 
acquainted,  and  of  whom  I  became  very  fond,  (his  staunch  friend- 
ship on  one  occasion  saved  our  lives,)  was  a  man  of  about  forty- 
five,  well  built,  but  not  muscular  in  appearance,  about  five  feet  six 
inches  tall,  his  face  broad,  cheek  bones  somewhat  high,  eyes 
wide  apart,  lips  thin,  and  mouth  large  but  well  shaped ;  his 
smile  is  ready,  kind,  and  benignant,  and  his  laugh  reveals  two 
rows  of  polished,  regular,  and  highly  blackened  teeth.  In  his 
general  expression  there  is  not  the  least  suggestion  of  what  we 
are  pleased  to  term  a  savage ;  his  demeanor  was  quiet,  unob- 
trusive, and  dignified,  and  his  voice  soft  and  subdued.  In 
obedience  to  fashion  (to  whose  behests  every  son  of  Adam  is  a 
slave)  his  ear-lobes  are  pierced,  and  by  means  of  heavy  copper 
rings,  inserted  in  early  infancy,  are  so  elongated  that  they 
almost  touch  his  shoulder.  The  upper  part  of  each  ear  is  also 
perforated,  so  as  to  permit  the  insertion  of  a  tiger-cat's  tooth ; 
this  ornament  is,  however,  inserted  only  for  full  dress ;  in  every- 
day life  a  plug  of  wood  about  half  an  inch  in  diameter  is  sub- 
stituted. These  '  looped  and  windowed '  ears  serve,  in  the  lack 
of  clothing,  as  pockets,  and  are  extremely  convenient  recepta- 
cles of  cigarettes,  or  even  of  boxes  of  matches.  His  head  is 
shaved  in  a  straight  line  extending  horizontally  from  one  temple 
to  another,  but  his  straight,  black  hair  is  allowed  to  grow  long 
at  the  back.  I  describe  Tama  Bulan  thus  somewhat  at  length 
because  he  is  a  typical  and  pure-blooded  Kenyah. 

The  skin  of  the  Kenyahs  and  Kayans  is  not  yellow,  but  some- 
what darker  than  a  Chinaman's ;  they  have  none  of  the  charac- 
teristics of  the  thick-lipped  African  negro,  nor  have  they  the 
bushy,  krinkly  hair  of  the  Papuans  ;  nor  the  almond  eyes,  or  the 
stretched  inner  canthus  of  the  Mongolians. 

On  ordinary  occasions,  they  wear  nothing  but  a  loin-cloth, 
made  either  of  bark  fibre  of  native  manufacture,  or  of  red,  white, 
or  black  cotton  cloth,  bought  from  Chinese  traders  in  the 
Bazaar  (the  Malay  name  for  a  trading-post).  On  their  heads 
they  wear  a  close-fitting,  pointed  cap  made  of  thin  strips  of  rattan, 
(or  '  rotan '  as  they  call  it,)  or  of  bamboo  woven  into  a  pretty 
chequered  pattern  of  black  and  yellow ;  when  exposed  to  the 


22  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

sun  they  often  exchange  this  skull  cap  for  a  broad,  flat  disc  made 
of  palm  leaves  and  tied  to  the  head. 

In  order  that  we  might  not  burden  Tama  Bulan  and  his  canoes 
with  our  heavy  luggage  of  several  boxes  of  tinned  provisions, 
cooking  utensils,  and  not  a  few  articles  for  judicious  presents, 
such  as  tobacco,  bolts  of  cheap  cotton  cloth,  and  a  quantity  of 
steel  bars,  wherefrom  the  natives  forge  parangs  and  spear- 
heads. Dr.  Hose  kindly  lent  his  large  dug-out,  which  afforded 
comfortable  quarters  for  ourselves  and  also  (a  pleasant  arrange- 
ment) for  our  host,  the  Chief.  The  dug-out  was  about  sixty 
feet  long  and  five  feet  wide  amidship,  made  of  a  single  log, 
but  deepened  considerably  by  the  addition  of  planks  bound 
along  the  sides  with  rattan  and  caulked,  thus  giving  about  six 
inches  of  additional  freeboard.  The  party  consisted  of  eight 
canoes,  bearing  Tama  Bulan's  followers,  and  as  they  swung  into 
view  after  their  start  from  the  Bazaar,  a  short  distance  below  Dr. 
Hose's  bungalow,  which  stands  on  a  high  and  steep  bluff,  they 
shouted  to  us  and  loudly  rapped  their  paddles  on  the  sides  of 
the  canoes,  by  way  of  urging  us  to  hurry  down  to  the  bank,  so 
great  was  their  impatience  to  be  fairly  started  on  the  homeward 
voyage.  We  had  divided  the  central  third  of  the  canoe  into  two 
compartments,  separated  from  each  other  by  our  luggage,  sleep- 
ing mats,  mosquito  curtains,  etc. ;  in  the  forward  division  we  took 
up  our  quarters,  reserving  the  aft  division  for  Tama  Bulan,  who 
seemed  to  fill  and  overflow  it  with  his  shields,  parangs,  large  sun- 
hats,  bundles  and  baskets  packed  with  cheap  cloths,  Malay 
sarongs,  heavy  copper  ear-rings,  pressed  glass  bowls,  and  beads 
of  every  description, — all  commissions  executed  for  his  house- 
hold and  received  in  exchange  for  jungle  products.  Where,  or 
how  he  managed  to  sleep  I  cannot  imagine, — but  he  was  the 
Chief,  and  uneasy  lies  the  head  that  wears  a  crown.  As  for  us, 
we  were  really  comfortable  with  rubber  blankets  and  thick  rugs 
spread  over  the  flooring  of  bamboo  strips  which  rested  on  the 
thwarts  amidship,  except  that  after  awhile,  as  sitting  cross-legged 
became  misery,  we  longed  for  a  chance  to  dangle  our  legs.  Over- 
head was  a  roof  of  '  kajangs ' — a  thin  thatch  of  palm  leaves — to 
protect  us  from  the  sun  and  rain.  As  soon  as  the  canoe  was  all 
packed,  and  our  Chinese  cook  and  two  Malay  servants  were 
properly  ensconced  in  other  canoes,  and  it  took  a  deal  of  excited 


THE  CHINESE  BAZAAR  AT  CLAUDETOWN -BARAM   FORT. 

IT  CONSISTS  OF  A  ROW  OF  SEPARATE  SHOPS,  WITH  A  WIDE  VERANDA  IN 
FRONT.  TO  TEMPT  THE  NATIVES,  THERE  IS  THEREIN  DISPLAYED  EVERY 
VARIETY  OF  MERCHANDISE,  FROM  GLASS  BEADS  TO  SEWING  MACHINES,  FROM 
SILK  SCARFS  TO  CALICO,  FROM  ARRACK  TO  WHITE-SEAL  CHAMPAGNE,  FROM 
CHINESE  CONFECTIONS  TO  PATENT   MEDICINES. 

MEXICAN  DOLLARS  ARE  THE  MEDIUM  OF  EXCHANGE,  BUT  A  LARGE  PART 
OF  THE  TRADING  IS  IN  THE  JUNGLE  PRODUCTS  COLLECTED  BY  THE  NATIVES, 
SUCH  AS  RATTANS,  GUTTA-PERCHA,  CAMPHOR  CRYSTALS,  TAPIOCA,  SAGO, 
RHINOCEROS  HORN,    EDIBLE   Bl  RDS'-N  ESTS,    ETC. 

IN  THE  PHOTOGRAPH,  WHICH  WAS  TAKEN  DURING  THE  RAINY  SEASON, 
WHEN  STEAMERS  CANNOT  CROSS  THE  BARAM  BAR,  THE  OPEN  SPACE  IN 
FRONT  OF  THE  ROW  OF  SHOPS  IS  PILED  UP  WITH  RATTANS  AWAITING  SHIP- 
MENT. THE  GROUP  OF  IBANS  CLAD  IN  MALAY  SARONGS  ARE  ADJUSTING  THE 
GAFFS  ON  A  FIGHTING-COCK  PREPARATORY  TO  ENGAGING  IN  ONE  OF  THEIR 
FAVOURITE  SPORTS. 


CEREMONIES  AT  THE  NAMING  OF  A   CHIEF'S  SON 


23 


shouting  and  innumerable  shiftings  before  this  was  accomplished 
to  the  satisfaction  of  the  crew  of  each  canoe,  the  word  was  given, 
and  with  a  few  powerful  strokes  from  the  paddles  which  sent  the 
spray  dashing  and  the  water  eddying  all  about  us,  we  were  round 
the  turn  of  the  river  and  had  bid  adieu  to  even  such  comfort  and 
civilization  as  the  Baram  Bazaar  affords,  and  had  fairly  started  on 
this  journey  to  the  far  interior  of  Borneo,  with  its  untold  possi- 
bilities, at  the  mercy  of  unknown  natives,  of  whose  very  language 
we  knew  not  a  word. 

Until  the  central  high-lands  of  Borneo  are  reached,  the  river 
scenery  is  utterly  uninteresting  and  monotonous ;  near  the  coast, 
where  the  river  water  is  still  brackish,  the  banks  are  lined  with 
the  feathery  Nipa  palm  with  fronds  like  stiff  ferns,  often  forty 
feet  high.  These  palms  have  no  stalk,  but  start  in  a  cluster  close 
to  the  ground  or  just  at  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  grow  so 
close  together  as  to  make  an  almost  impenetrable  wall.  At  first 
they  appear  beyond  measure  beautiful,  with  their  polished,  glanc- 
ing leaves,  quivering  and  wavering  with  every  breath  of  air;  and 
the  gleam  of  the  dark  maroon  mid-rib  of  the  leaves  swaying  slowly 
with  the  motion  adds  a  flickering  light  to  the  deep  shadows, 
suggestive  of  mystery  through  the  illimitable  aisles  beneath  the 
over-arching  fronds.  But  a  closer  acquaintance  reveals  the 
realm  of  crocodiles  and  snakes,  not  to  mention  the  unromantic 
mosquito,  diminutive  in  size  but  mighty  to  annoy.  [Once  on  a 
time,  in  the  salad  days  of  my'Borneo  life,  I  tried  to  take  a  photo- 
graph in  the  depth  of  a  Nipa  swamp,  but  indeed,  the  torment 
of  the  myriads  of  rapacious  and  voracious  mosquitoes  which 
attacked  me  while  making  the  necessary  exposure  was  absolutely 
intolerable.  When  I  threw  the  focussing  cloth  over  my  head  I 
entrapped  unwittingly  so  many  mosquitoes  that  I  could  hardly 
see  to  focus ;  in  one  minute  they  had  stung  me  on  the  lips, 
cheeks,  eyelids,  within  the  nostrils,  and  on  the  ears.  I  am  not  a 
coward,  but  I  really  could  not  face,  literally,  the  overwhelm- 
ing onslaught  for  the  two  minutes  which,  on  account  of  the  dim 
light,  were  necessary  for  the  exposure  ;  the  poor  wretch  of  an 
Iban  who  was  with  me,  clad  only  in  his  loin-cloth,  actually 
cried  and  moaned  with  the  suffering ;  my  negative  turned  out 
to  have  been  under-exposed  because  both  of  us  had  been  over- 
exposed.]    After  twenty  or  thirty  miles  of  this  unbroken  wall  of 


24  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

Nipa  palms  the  charm  diminishes,  until  at  last  all  beauty  is  lost 
in  satiety  and  the  sight  becomes  infinitely  tedious.  It  is,  by  the 
way,  from  these  Nipa  palms  thus  growing  in  brackish  water  that 
the  natives  obtain  salt ;  the  ashes  of  the  stalks,  leaves,  and  roots 
are  soaked  in  water,  which,  when  the  water  is  evaporated,  yields 
a  very  dirty  looking  salt,  much  preferred,  however,  by  the  natives 
to  that  which  can  be  bought  in  the  Bazaar.  Where  the  Nipa 
palms  end  wild  sugar-cane  begins,  and  its  gray-green,  grassy 
stalks  become  quite  as  monotonous  as  the  Nipa ;  it  is  not  until 
the  low  muddy  banks  of  the  river  change,  first  to  sandy  and  then 
to  pebbly  beaches,  that  the  real  beauty  of  the  river  begins. 

Notwithstanding  the  exciting  novelty  of  our  situation  I  can- 
not say  that  that  first  day  passed  quickly,  or  that  it  was  full  of 
interest ;  a  day  is  a  long  time  when  it  is  spent  hour  after  hour  in 
gHding  along  a  v/all  of  unvarying  green.  Tama  Bulan's  last  pur- 
chase at  the  Bazaar  was  a  Chinese  tea  '  cosy ' — a  little  cylindrical 
basket  lined  with  felt,  holding  a  small  teapot  closely  fitted  and 
keeping  the  tea  hot  for  a  long  time.  Every  five  minutes,  as  it 
seemed,  we  heard  the  click  of  the  hasp ;  then  the  creak  of  the 
cover  as  the  teapot  was  lifted  out ;  then  a  loud  and  prolonged 
sucking  sound  as  Tama  Bulan  luxuriously  drained  with  infinite 
gusto  a  diminutive  cup  of  tea.  I  am  quite  sure  that  the  teapot 
was  so  often  replenished  from  the  river  that  it  yielded,  finally, 
nothing  but  tepid  and  muddy  water, — but  ah !  the  charm  of 
drinking  from  a  china  teapot  and  quaffing  with  an  ecstatic  gurgle  ! 
The  old  Chief  often  peered  through  a  little  crevice  in  the  pile  of 
luggage  between  us,  and  then  he  would  chuckle  and  give  vent  to 
a  flow  of  words  which  bubbled  out  so  fluently  between  his  broad 
smile  and  his  blackened  teeth  that  they  seemed  to  stumble  over 
themselves  and  end  off  in  fit  of  coughing.  We  smiled,  nodded, 
mumbled,  and  pretended  to  understand  it  all, — even  the  cough. 

Toward  dusk  of  the  first  day  we  halted  at  a  sloping  sand- 
bank, enclosed  on  three  sides  by  a  dense  hedge  of  wild  sugar- 
cane, full  of  mysterious  rustlings  and  sighings,  and  stretching  far 
over  the  low  ground  to  the  beginning  of  the  jungle.  The  other 
boats  of  our  party  were  already  tied  up  to  the  shore,  and  the 
brown-skinned  men  in  their  scarlet  waist-cloths  were  bustling 
about  collecting  fire-wood  and  building  cranes  whereon  to  hang 
their  little  kettles  of  rice.     A  row  of  fires  was  soon  started,  and 


SCENE  ON  THE  BARAM 

A   RAFT  BRINGING   RATTANS  TO   THE  BAZAAR. 


CEREMONIES  AT  THE  NAMING   OF  A   CHIEF'S  SON     25 

die  short  twilight  of  the  tropics  deepened  into  dark  ;  the  dancing 
fires  cast  giant  shadows  on  the  gray-green  leaves  of  the  wild 
sugar-cane,  and  lit  up  the  intent  faces  of  the  natives  and  their 
glistening  eyes  and  brass-studded  teeth  as  they  squatted  about 
the  fires  or  stirred  the  bubbling  pots.  When  the  meal  was  ended 
and  they  were  smoking  long  cigarettes  of  Java  tobacco  rolled  in 
the  dried  leaf  of  the  wild  banana,  the  moon  rose  and  the  embers 
of  the  fires  were  scattered.  To  become  more  at  home  with  our 
hosts  and  fellow  travellers  we  entered  into  their  games  and  con- 
tests in  broad  jumping,  high  jumping,  and  tugs  of  war.  Alas 
for  me,  I  was  indiscreet  enough  to  turn  a  handspring  for  them, 
and  also  walk  on  my  hands,  feats  that  apparently  were  perfectly 
new  to  them ;  ever  after  I  was  introduced  by  Tama  Bulan  to  his 
friends  with  the  laudatory  remark  that  I  could  walk  on  my  hands 
and  turn  over ;  whereupon,  be  it  on  muddy  bank  or  hard  floor, 
I  was  incontinently  obliged  to  repeat  the  performance. 

When  the  Chief  retired  to  his  boat  it  was  the  signal  for  the 
general  breaking  up  of  the  pastime.  Grass  mats  were  brought 
from  the  boats  and  spread  on  the  sand,  whereon  the  men  threw 
themselves,  and,  in  the  soft  light  of  the  tropical  moon,  we  were 
all  soon  lulled  to  sleep  by  the  constant  drone  and  chirp  of  noc- 
turnal insects. 

Early  the  next  morning  we  awoke  and  saw,  by  the  light  of  the 
setting  moon,  the  men  shaking  out  their  mats  and  making 
preparations  for  starting  off.  We  were  soon  under  way  once 
more,  and  between  waking  and  sleeping  we  were  conscious  of 
the  rhythmical  click  of  the  paddles  and  of  an  occasional  com- 
mand of  '  Mishai !  Mishai !'  from  Tama  Bulan  to  the  rowers  to 
wield  their  paddles  stronger  and  faster. 

It  is  not  worth  while  to  give  in  detail  all  the  long  fifteen  days 
of  our  journey  up  the  river,  or  of  our  visits  to  the  v'arious  houses 
on  our  way;  as  may  be  readily  inferred,  there  were  many  hours, 
monotonous,  weary,  and  at  times  perplexing ;  three  men  died  of 
the  grippe, — v/hich  seems  to  have  penetrated  this  most  remote 
corner  of  the  world,  and  was  at  that  time  fairly  epidemic  on  the 
Baram.  Unfortunately  for  us,  these  deaths  were  attributed  to 
our  presence ;  a  council  was  held,  and  we  were,  in  consequence, 
requested  to  return  ;  but  we  protested  our  innocence,  asseverated 
our  friendship,  and   having  already  come  so  far  begged  to  be 


26  HO  ME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

allowed  to  go  on,  and  finally  allayed  their  fears  and  gained  their 
consent.  We  distributed  tobacco  and  medicine  freely,  and  held 
numerous  clinics  in  our  boat  and  on  the  river-banks,  for  the 
treatment  of  a  troublesome  inflammation  of  the  eyes,  probably  due 
to  the  depilation  of  eyelashes,  added  to  constant  bathing  in  the 
muddy,  turbid  river.  At  one  time  the  rains  descended  and  the 
floods  came,  and  for  five  mortal  days  we  were  tied  up  to  the  bank 
of  the  river,  unable  to  advance  on  account  of  the  irresistible  cur- 
rent and  of  the  immense  logs  and  trees  that  were  constantly 
brought  down  by  the  stream.  During  this  enforced  inactivity 
we  became  better  and  better  acquainted  with  our  companions  ;  we 
learned  their  names  and  a  generous  smattering  of  their  language, 
— an  easy  task  ;  we  powdered  many  and  many  a  wound  and  abra- 
sion with  iodoform,  whereof  the  color  and  smell  delighted  them,  and 
brought  us  greatly  into  favor.  From  the  boys  who  accompanied 
the  party,  and  who  acted  as  general  '  slaveys,'  we  picked  up  most 
of  our  familiarity  with  the  language ;  they  were  always  ready  to 
talk  unconstrainedly  with  us,  and  we  amused  ourselves  while 
amusing  them.  One  little  fellow  in  particular  we  never  grew 
tired  of  watching ;  his  actions  were  as  quick  and  inquisitive  as 
those  of  a  monkey,  with  the  added  revelation  of  a  shrewd  intelli- 
gence. I  blush  to  confess  that  we  taught  him  the  bad  manners 
of  putting  his  thumb  to  his  nose  and  wiggling  his  fingers 
whenever  his  elders  told  him  to  do  anything  for  them  ;  the  out- 
raged indignation  with  which  this  perfectly  novel  and  insulting 
gesture  was  received,  and  the  sly  winks  little  Adom  gave  us  over 
his  shoulder,  at  every  repetition,  were  truly  delightful.  One  day 
we  painted  him  from  head  to  foot,  with  water  colors,  in  stripes 
of  blue,  green,  yellow,  and  black,  to  his  joyous  delight;  and 
although  he  was  greeted  with  outbursts  of  laughter  by  the 
whole  party,  he  was,  nevertheless,  exceedingly  reluctant  to  wash 
off  his  decoration.  Lishun  was  another  of  our  particular 
'  pals,'  and  a  sturdier,  braver  little  fellow  it  would  be  hard  to  find ; 
he  was  certainly  not  over  eight  or  nine  years  old,  but  on  many 
occasions  he  saved  our  canoe  from  being  swept  back  round  a 
sharp  turn  of  the  river  where  the  current  ran  at  headlong  speed. 
Just  as  the  men  were  losing  all  hold  with  their  poles  and  the  bow 
of  the  canoe  was  inevitably  swinging  out  toward  the  middle  of 
the  river,  Lishun,  with  a  rattan  rope  attached  to  the  bow,  in  one 


SOME   OF   OUR    KENYAH    COMPANIONS   DURING    OUR  VISIT 
TO   TAMA    BULAN'S    HOUSE. 

THE  WELL-BUILT  MAN  IN  THE  CENTRE  IS  BLARI;  THE  BOY  ON  THE 
RIGHT  IS  LISHUN,  SQUATTING  CLOSE  BY.  HIM  IS  DENG,  AND  STANDING 
BETWEEN  HIM  AND  BLARI  IS  DENG'S  ELDER  BROTHER.  THE  NAMES  OF  THE 
THREE    OTHERS    I    DO    NOT    RECALL. 


CEREMONIES  AT  THE  NAMING  OF  A   CHIEF'S  SON 


27 


hand,  would  plunge  into  the  swirl  of  water,  and,  disappearing  for 
a  breathless  moment,  would  emerge  among  the  roots  and  branches 
on  the  river-bank,  with  a  shout  of  laughter  from  pure  enjoyment, 
and  there  make  fast  his  rope,  while  the  polers  with  a  fresh  hold 
brought  the  bow  of  the  canoe  to  the  right  direction.  Why  his 
little  limbs  were  not  torn  to  pieces  and  his  body  battered  against 
the  rocks  in  that  seething,  whirling  water  is  to  be  explained,  I 
suppose,  only  by  the  fact  that  water  was  almost  as  much  his 
element  as  the  earth  or  air.  Then  there  were  Terluat,  a  solemn 
little  fellow,  who  preferred  listening  to  talking ;  Apoi,  a  fat  and 
greasy  lumpkin  with  an  inane  giggle  if  you  did  but  look  at 
him ;  Deng,  about  sixteen  years  old,  as  clean-limbed  and  sym- 
metrical an  example  of  adolescence  as  can  be  imagined ;  and  Gau, 
an  ugly  little  monkey-faced  boy,  but  as  bright  as  a  new  penny 
and  an  expert  in  cat's-cradle.  Blari,  Tama  Bulan's  nephew,  and 
Tama  Talun,  the  Chiefs  right-hand  man  and  a  kind  of  '  master 
of  ceremonies,'  were  our  particular  friends  among  the  men,  apart 
from  the  Chief,  Tama  Bulan,  himself 

During  the  weary  days  of  waiting  for  the  floods  to  subside,  we 
used  the  youngsters  to  teach  us  their  language,  and  never  missed 
the  opportunity  of  having  them  in  our  boat,  where  we  could 
make  the  idle  moments  pass  in  showing  them  a  collection  of 
illustrated  papers  that  we  had  brought  with  us.  One  evening, 
after  they  had  been  giving  us  a  concert  of  their  own  music,  we 
tried  what  effect  some  of  our  songs  would  have  on  them.  Some- 
what to  my  surprise,  such  melodies  as  '  The  Suwanee  River '  and 
'The  Old  Kentucky  Home'  possessed  not  the  smallest  charm 
for  them ;  they  evidently  thought  our  style  of  singing  exceed- 
ingly amusing, — perhaps  it  was ;  and  they  made  no  attempt  to 
restrain  their  laughter.  Afterward  we  heard  them  trying  to 
imitate  it  by  merely  a  continuous  rise  and  fall  of  voice  in  a  high 
key.  One  song,  however,  did  appeal  to  them  as  more  like  their 
own ;  this  was  '  Three  Old  Crows  Sat  on  a  Stone '  with  the 
refrain  of  '  Jimmy  Magee  Magaw ; '  frequent  repetitions  were 
called  for ;  and  finally  they  caught  the  air  and  adapted  words  of 
their  own  to  it,  with  a  refrain  of  '  Balli  Boin  Akan,'  a  phrase 
wherewith  the  Dayongs,  or  priests,  address  pigs  that  are  about 
to  be  sacrificed. 

At  the  end  of  five  days,  during  which  the  freshet  acquired 


28  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

daily  and  nightly  new  strength  from  heavy  thunder-showers,  the 
Omen  Birds,  the  guides  and  guardians  of  these  people,  were 
harangued  and  alternately  cajoled  and  threatened.  At  one  time 
a  fruitless  attempt  was  made  to  deceive  them.  The  whole  party 
disembarked,  and,  donning  their  spears  and  parangs,  made  a  wide 
circuit  in  the  jungle,  so  as  to  make  the  birds  believe  that  the 
canoes  were  not  going  home,  but  were  on  an  ordinary  hunting 
expedition.  Once  Tama  Bulan,  while  sitting  in  our  canoe,  shook 
his  fist  at  a  bird  perched  on  a  bough  near  by,  and  upbraided  it  for 
not  causing  the  rain  to  cease.  When  he  observed  our  interest  in 
his  proceedings  his  face  broke  into  an  embarrassed  smile,  and  he 
poked  me  in  the  ribs,  and  said,  chuckling,  '  Tuan  does  not 
believe  in  the  birds,  does  he  ?  He  thinks  Tama  Bulan  is  crazy.' 
I  assured  him  that  when  in  Borneo  the  white  man  was  as  much 
under  the  protection  of  the  birds  as  were  the  natives  themselves, 
which  was  equivocal,  but  gratifying  to  his  belief.  On  another 
occasion  both  Dr.  Hiller  and  myself  were  sprinkled  with  water 
from  a  stick  cut  into  shavings  at  one  end  and  held  on  the  blade 
of  a  parang.  Had  the  skies  immediately  cleared,  it  would  have 
afforded  such  irrefragable  proof  of  our  league  with  evil  Spirits 
that  I  know  not  what  would  have  been  our  fate.  But  at  last  the 
waters  fell,  and,  finally,  we  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Pata  River, 
the  large  tributary  whereon  Tama  Bulan  lives  ;  and  then  after 
three  days  of  hard  boating  over  rapids  which  necessitated  our 
disembarking  twice  and  carrjang  our  boat  and  all  our  baggage 
overland  for  a  short  distance,  we  arrived  within  one  turn  of  the 
river  from  Tama  Bulan's  house.  Here  a  halt  for  final  purification 
was  made.  An  arch  of  boughs  about  five  feet  high  was  erected 
on  the  beach,  and  beneath  it  a  fire  was  kindled,  and  then  Tama 
Bulan,  holding  a  young  chicken,  which  he  waved  and  brushed 
over  every  portion  of  the  arch,  invoked  all  evil  Spirits  which  had 
been  accompanying  us,  and  forbade  them  to  follow  us  further 
through  the  fire.  The  fowl  was  then  killed,  its  blood  smeared 
all  over  the  archway  and  sprinkled  in  the  fire ;  then,  led  by 
Tama  Bulan,  the  whole  party  filed  under  the  arch,  and  as  they 
stepped  over  the  fire  each  one  spat  in  it  vociferously  and  imme- 
diately took  his  place  in  the  boats.*     A  half  hour  more  brought 

*  For  instances  elsewhere  of  the  observance  of  similar  purification,  see  The  Golden 
Bough,  Frazer,  vol.  iii.,  p.  398  et  seq. 


BULAN,  THE  DAUGHTER  OF  TAMA  BULAN. 

(From  a  photograph  taken,  and  kindly  loaned,  by  Professor  A.  C     Haddon,   F.  R.  S.) 


CEREMONIES  AT  THE  NAMING   OF  A    CHIEF'S  SON     29 

us  to  the  huge  log  which  serves  as  a  landing  along  the  shore 
below  the  house  of  Tama  Bulan. 

Tama  Bulan  did  all  in  his  power  to  show  us  that  we  were 
welcome,  and  assigned  to  us  an  immense  slab  of  Tapang  wood 
about  eight  feet  square  and  suspended  about  three  feet  above  the 
floor  by  beams  from  the  roof;   hereon  we  could  spread  our  mats 
at  night  and  keep  our  possessions  out  of  the  reach  of  the  hungry 
mongrel  dogs  that  pervaded  the  veranda.     As  soon  as  we  were 
thus  properly  shelved,  and  had  our  things  stowed  away  comfort- 
ably, our  host  came  and  requested  us  to  visit  him  in  his  private 
apartment  and  meet  his  family.     With  much  pride  he  conducted 
us  into  the  presence  of  his  daughter,  Bulan,  who  had  gathered 
about  her  a  bevy  of  her  intimate  girl  friends,  all  busily  engaged 
in  making  cigarettes ;  she    received    us  with  quiet  dignity,  but, 
owing  to  our  lack  of  proficiency  in  Malay,  I  must  acknowledge 
that  the  conversation  could  not  be  termed  particularly  brilliant. 
However,  we  did  our  best  to  be    entertaining ;  Dr.  Hiller  and 
myself  displayed  the  elaborate  Japanese  tattooing  on  our  arms, 
and  I  sprung  by  hand,  at  her  father's   instigation,  into  Bulan's 
good  graces.     She  was   about  seventeen  or  eighteen  years  old, 
with  a  strong  resemblance  to  her  father,  and  mild,  gentle  eyes 
which  she  slowly  opened  and  shut  with  demure  solemnity ;  her 
teeth  were,   of  course,  blackened ;   her  hair  was  parted  in  the 
middle,  and  brought  down  low  in  glossy  black  waves  over  her 
forehead  and  held  in  place  by  a  fillet  of  plaited  rattan ;  her  eye- 
brows and  eyelashes  had  been  either  shaved  or  depilated.     The 
one  ineradicable  blemish  in  her  beauty  is  her   left   ear ;    over- 
ambitious    parents   had  suspended  therein   too    heavy  weights 
when  she  was  young,  and  one  beautiful  ear-lobe  had  given  away ; 
to  be  sure,  it  had  been  patched  and  reunited,  but  the  patch  was 
undeniable,  and  an  ugly  lump  the  result.     Alas!  even  three  hun- 
dred  miles   in  the    heart    of  Borneo    il  faut  sonffrir  po2ir  etrc 
belle.     I  showed  her  some  of  the  pictures  of  American  men  and 
women  in  the  Magazines  we  had  with  us ;  she  was  much  amused 
at  the  small  waists  of  the  women,  which   I   was  obliged  to  tell 
her  were  effected  by  steel  bands  laced  tightly  about  them.     This 
was  incomprehensible  to  her,  and  the  torture  which  she  inferred 
excited  her  sympathy.     In  every  picture  where  neither  beard  nor 
moustache  marked  the  sex  I  had  to  tell  her  which  were  men 


30  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

and  which  were  women ;  she  could  see  no  difference  in  the  faces, 
and  the  dress  and  coiffure  had  no  meaning  to  her. 

We  were  next  shown  the  httle  son  and  heir  who  was  to  be 
the  centre  of  the  coming  festivities ;  he  was  the  whitest  Bornean 
baby  that  I  ever  saw,  his  skin  was  what  might  be  called  a  dark- 
cream  color.  Infant  as  he  was, — not  yet  a  year  old, — he  evinced 
the  utmost  terror  at  the  sight  of  us,  and  emitted  such  bawls  that 
he  had  to  be  carried  away  quickly.  His  ears,  even  at  that  early 
age,  had  been  slit,  and  were  already  quite  elongated  with  large 
bunches  of  pewter  rings,  which  were,  in  fact,  his  sole  article  of 
dress.  It  always  seemed  strange  to  see  babies  in  arms  car- 
ried about  without  a  rag  of  clothing  on  them ;  long  clothes  are 
so  indissolubly  associated  in  our  minds  with  infancy  that  there 
seemed  to  be  something  monstrous  and  discordant  in  a  tender 
little  baby  continually  stark  naked.  This  baby,  in  spite  of  its 
bad  temper,  was,  however,  the  idol  of  the  household ;  nephews, 
nieces,  friends,  and  slaves  of  its  parents  were  all  proud  to  be 
allowed  to  carry  it  about  the  veranda,  in  its  sling  hung  with 
charms. 

While  we  were  away  on  a  five  days'  visit  to  another  Chief  on 
the  Apoh  River,  Tama  Bulan  most  hospitably  caused  to  be  con- 
structed for  us  in  the  veranda,  nearly  opposite  his  apartment,  a 
little  room  partitioned  off  by  matting  and  a  wall  of  bamboo  rods, 
wherein,  as  he  explained,  we  should  be  free  from  the  annoyance 
of  children  and  dogs ;  but  even  while  he  was  speaking  a  row  of 
little,  beady  eyes  peering  at  us  through  the  cracks  between  the 
bamboos  made  me  sympathize  with  the  feelings  of  the  freaks  at 
a  circus  when  the  small  boy  lifts  the  flaps  of  the  tent. 

On  the  day  of  our  arrival,  the  only  indication  of  the  approach- 
ing festivities  were  hundreds  of  bunches  of  bananas,  suspended 
everywhere  from  the  roof;  but  when  we  returned  from  the  Apoh 
River,  preparations  were  already  in  full  swing  for  the  Nam- 
ing, and  we  contributed  freely  from  our  store  of  tobacco  for  the 
manufacture  of  cigarettes.  Bulan's  room  was  the  centre  of  this 
industry,  and  the  workers,  all  women  and  girls,  occupied  every 
inch  of  the  floor,  squatting  in  groups  round  baskets  piled  high 
with  the  stringy  weed.  While  some  prepared  the  dried  banana 
leaves,  others  rolled  the  cigarettes ;  some  rolled  them  on  their 
thighs,  others  on  polished  boards  held  in  their  laps.    It  was  a  merry 


GROUP  OF  BOYS 

THE  FOURTH  ON  THE  LEFT  IN  THE  FRONT  ROW  IS  LAWI,  AN  ADOPTED 
SON  OF  ABAN  LIAH,  AND  A  PRESUMPTIVE  CHIEF.  THE  OTHERS  WERE  ALREADY 
HIS  DEVOTED   FOLLOWERS. 


CEREMONIES  AT  THE  NAMING  OF  A   CHIEF'S  SON 


31 


gathering,  with  a  constant  buzz  of  gossip,  and  now  and  then  loud 
bursts  of  innocent  laughter  that  bespake  the  vacant  mind.  The 
holiday  had  already  begun,  and  during  the  days  devoted  to  the 
ceremonies  there  is  no  work  in  the  rice-fields,  consequently  the 
house  was  full  of  young  people  who  would  be,  at  other  times, 
hard  at  work  out  of  doors.  The  small  boy  was,  of  course, 
ubiquitous, — as,  on  similar  busy  occasions,  he  is  in  civilized 
countries ;  and  little  Adorn  seemed  to  be  everywhere  at  every 
instant,  upsetting  baskets  of  tobacco,  purloining  rolls  of  banana 
leaf,  dropping  chips  and  rubbish  from  rafters  above  on  the  heads 
of  the  workers  beneath,  and  at  every  turn  in  everybody's  way ; 
nevertheless  he  was  treated  with  uniform  forbearance,  and  only 
occasional  playful  sallies  from  the  girls  kept  him  from  downright 
hindering  them  in  their  work.  Kindliness  and  hilarity  ruled  the 
hour. 

As  fast  as  the  cigarettes  were  made  they  were  strung  on  a 
thread  and  hung,  a  dangling  fringe,  on  a  framework  of  rattans 
about  six  feet  long,  representing  a  horn-bill  with  his  wings  out- 
spread. The  head  was  carved  of  wood  and  painted,  so  that 
it  had  a  most  life-like  appearance,  and  in  addition  it  was  orna- 
mented with  several  strips  of  bead-work  cloth  draped  around  it 
and  enveloping  the  neck ;  its  tail  was  composed  of  real  feathers 
with  the  broad  black  band.  The  cigarettes  were  hung  almost  as 
closely  as  feathers  all  over  the  body,  wings,  and  tail, — indeed, 
there  must  have  been  a  thousand  affixed  to  it.  When  the  last 
cigarette  was  hung  in  place,  and  it  took  far  into  the  night  before 
the  whole  was  finished,  the  huge  bird  was  suspended  from  a 
rafter  beyond  the  reach  of  pilfering  hands,  until  the  proper  time 
for  distribution. 

In  deciding  the  exact  date  for  the  important  ceremony  of 
naming  the  son  of  a  Chief,  the  phase  of  the  moon  is  of  vital 
importance.  According  to  the  Kenyah  calendar,  the  moon  passes 
through  twelve  phases,  whereof  only  two  or  three  are  really 
auspicious  ;  and  when  some  are  in  the  ascendant  they  prognosti- 
cate even  downright  ill  luck  to  all  who  are  then  named.  These 
phases  areas  follows  ('  bulan,'  meaning  inooii) :  (i)  '  Bulan  musit,' 
t/te  birth  of  the  moon  ;  (2)  *  Bulan  anak,'  the  moon  has  a  child ; 
(3)  *  Bulan  dyipu  boin,'  the  pig's  tooth  moon ;  (4)  '  Bulan  bak- 
wong,'  the  bird' s-bill moon ;  (5)  'Bulan  petak,'  moon  of  sickness; 


32  HO  ME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

(6)  '  Bulan  batak-palan,'  the  fisJi  moon,  moderately  good,  but  not 
auspicious  for  building  houses ;  (7)  *  Bulan  salap  jiit '  and  (8) 
'  Bulan  salap  bioh,'  tlie  big  and  the  little  belly-moons  ;  both  good 
moons ;  the  *  Salap  bioh '  is  the  best  for  naming  children.  (9) 
'  Bulan  loong-payong  jiit,'  moon  of  the  small  payong  friiit;  (10) 
'Bulan  loong-payong  bioh,'  moon  of  the  big  payoig  fntit ;  these 
two  phases  are  auspicious  for  almost  any  undertaking.  (11) 
'  Bulan  blasong  jiit,'  Dioon  of  the  small  pearl  shell  (the  shell  often 
attached  to  the  front  of  a  war-coat) ;  this  is  also  an  auspicious 
phase.  (12)  '  Bulan  blasong  bioh,'  moon  of  the  big  pearl  shell, — 
i.  e.,  full  moon  ;  this  is  considered  not  a  very  favorable  phase.  A 
child  born  under  it  goes  to  extremes.  It  is  either  very  intelligent 
or  else  an  idiot.  Fighting  and  trouble  are  most  apt  to  occur 
during  the  full  moon. 

The  usual  age  at  which  a  child  is  named  is  at  about  the  end 
of  the  first  year  or  at  the  beginning  of  the  second.  Up  to  this 
time  all  the  children,  especially  those  of  a  Chief,  are  under  a 
'  lali,'  a  word  signifying  a  restriction,  and  used  in  the  same  sense 
as  taboo.  As  long  as  this  lali  is  in  force  the  child  must  not  be 
bathed  in  the  river,  but  in  the  private  apartment  of  its  parents ; 
it  must  not  be  carried  even  down  the  ladder  from  the  house  to 
the  ground ;  even  to  mention  its  future  name  is  so  ill-omened  as 
to  be  prohibitory ;  it  is  known  only  by  the  indefinite  appellation 
'  Angat '  if  a  boy,  and  '  Endun  '  if  a  girl, — Angat  means  literally 
a  little  zvorm  ;  what  Endun  means,  if  it  have  a  separate  meaning, 
I  do  not  know.  On  the  present  occasion,  the  moon  was  in  the 
phase  of  Salap  bioh,  the  big-bellied  moon, — that  is,  gibbous. 

Numerous  guests  now  began  to  arrive  to  participate  in  the 
ceremonies ;  they  came  so  quietly,  and  so  little  commotion  fol- 
lowed their  arrival,  that  we  were  hardly  aware  of  their  presence 
until  we  noticed  the  large  groups  outside  of  Tama  Bulan's  door. 

On  the  morning  of  the  appointed  day,  alternate  blows  on  two 
large  gongs  gave  notice  that  the  ceremony  was  about  to  begin. 
We  filed  into  the  Chief's  room  with  the  others,  and,  passing 
through  the  narrow  and  dark  little  entry  with  its  very  ramshackle 
floor,  we  found  the  family  and  the  guests  sitting  cross-legged 
about  a  large  mat  in  the  middle  of  the  room.  In  the  centre  of 
this  mat  was  a  heap  about  a  foot  high  of  white  husked  rice ;  at 
one   side  of  this  heap  sat  the  proud  mother,  holding  the  pale 


CEREMONIES  AT  THE  NAMING  OF  A   CHIEF'S  SON 


II 


little  son  and  heir.  When  we  were  all  seated,  the  gongs 
redoubled  and  trebled  their  din,  to  drown  all  sounds  of  evil 
portent  while  the  rites  take  place. 

It  is  the  first  duty  of  the  Dayong,  or  priestess,  (on  this  occa- 
sion Tama  Bulan's  first  wife,  the  mother  of  Bulan,)  to  drive  away 
all  evil  Spirits  which  may  be  perchance  still  lurking  near  the 
child.  Old  age  is  seldom,  if  ever,  beautiful  in  Borneo,  and  as 
old  Tina  Bulan  stood  up  to  officiate,  v/ith  her  straggly  hanks  of 
swarthy  hair,  her  blackened  snags  of  teeth,  her  shrivelled,  bony 
arms  and  corded  neck,  she  looked  the  supreme  incarnation  of  a 
witch,  straight  from  the  '  pit  of  Acheron.'  But  ugliness,  as  well 
as  beauty,  is  only  skin  deep ;  and  we  learned  to  know  this  Tina 
Bulan  as  a  dear  old  soul,  as  kind  and  good-natured  as  mortal 
can  be. 

She  held  by  its  legs  a  young  chicken,  which,  with  excited 
gesticulations,  she  waved  above  and  about  the  little  stark-naked, 
bawling  baby,  struggling  in  its  mother's  lap,  and  as  she  waved 
she  dipped  water  from  a  bowl,  and,  sprinkling  it  upon  the  fowl, 
exhorted  it,  as  follows  : 

'  Misau  balli  yap  ! 
Balli  Isit !  balli  Sakit  ! 
Misau  balli  Mibang  nelatang, 
Balli  nupi  jiat,  iya  malat ! 
Ja  !    dua  !    talu  !    pat ! 
Pat  porat  petat,  peti  pasi  balli  jiat ! ' 

Which,  somewhat  freely  translated,  means,  '  Drive  away,  O 
hallowed  fowl,  and  hallowed  Isit  [omen  bird],  all  sickness  and 
evil  Spirits  that  surround  us  !  Render  harmless  all  bad  dreams ! 
One  !  two  !  three  !  four  !  Away,  all  evil  demons,  here,  there,  and 
everywhere ! ' 

As  she  counted  ja !  dua !  talu !  pat !  she  waved  her  hands 
violently  and  threateningly,  as  if  fairly  pushing  the  evil  Spirits 
from  her.  Trembling  with  excitement,  she  then  dropped  cross- 
legged  close  to  the  heap  of  snow-white  rice,  and  with  a  bamboo 
joint  measured  out  eight  portions  ;  out  of  these,  she  made  a  sep- 
arate pile  at  one  side.  Eight  measures  of  rice  are  the  portion  for 
the  child  of  a  Chief,  half  that  number  suffices  ordinary  children. 
The  rice,  thus  measured,  is  for  the  god,  Penylong,  the  guardian 
of  all  souls,  and  for  his  wife,  Perbungan ;  the  spiritual  essence 


34  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

alone  of  the  grains  goes  to  the  gods ;  the  ceremony  over,  the  rice 
may  be  eaten  by  mortals.  In  the  middle  of  this  lesser  pile  of 
rice  she  planted  a  small  sprig  of  a  tree,  called  the  tree  of  life, 
'  Kayu  urip ;'  with  this  symbol  in  front  of  her,  she  carefully 
picked  out  from  the  pile  eight  full,  well-shaped  grains ;  wrapping 
them  in  a  strip  of  bark-fibre,  and  holding  the  strip  close  above 
the  child's  head,  she  tied  a  knot  in  it  enclosing  and  holding  fast 
the  grains.  (This  strip  thus  knotted  is  called  '  Tebuku  urip.') 
Eight  times  was  this  repeated,  and  all  the  while  the  brazen  gongs 
kept  up  their  hideous,  deafening  din ;  now  and  then,  when  the 
wearied  performers  stopped  for  a  moment  to  change  hands,  the 
vigorous  and  well-sustained  bawling  of  the  noble  infant  filled  the 
gap.  Once  I  caught  sight  of  httle  Adom  sliding  stealthily  down 
from  his  perch  on  the  rack  for  bamboo  water-bottles,  whence  he 
had  been  enjoying  his  wonted  bird's  eye  view  of  the  whole  per- 
formance, and,  seizing  the  arm  of  a  tired  gong-beater,  his  little 
dust-begrimed  face  all  contorted  with  earnestness,  helped  him  to 
bea-t  louder. 

Every  time  that  Tina  Bulan  enclosed  in  a  knot  the  eight 
grains  of  rice,  she  murmured :  '  May  your  soul  live  long,  and, 
by  the  omens  of  this  knotted  cord  of  life,  may  you  live  to  a 
venerable  old  age  ! '  * 

If  each  grain  of  rice  mean  a  year  of  life,  the  reckoning  does 
not  fall  far  short  of  the  Biblical  three  score  and  ten. 

When  the  ceremony  was  completed  of  the  Tebuku  urip  (where 
'  urip  '  means  of  life),  the  '  Kayu  urip  '  {the  tree  of  life)  was  placed 
in  a  joint  of  bamboo,  wherein  also  the  tebuku  itself  was  stored. 
The  bamboo  joint  is  assigned  only  to  a  man-child ;  out  of  bam- 

*  I  asked  to  have  these  words  repeated  to  me  after  the  ceremony  ;  they  are  as 
follows  :  '  Nilang  megang  beleuer,  tebuku  urip  lakip  makun  alun  !'  This  '  tebuku  ' 
(knotted  cord)  illustrates  a  custom  among  the  Kayans  and  Kenyahs  which,  I  think, 
is  noteworthy.  When  they  wish  to  make  a  record  of  days  or  of  things,  they  do  so 
by  tying  knots  either  in  a  thin  strip  of  rattan  or  in  a  cord  of  bark -fibre  ;  this  strip  is 
called  a  '  tebuku.'  It  was  a  source  to  me  of  never-failing  wonder  to  note  how 
accurately  and  for  what  a  length  of  time  the  maker  of  the  strip  can  remember  what 
every  knot  represents.  I  have  seen  a  '  tebuku  tali '  ( '  tali '  here  means  strip)  wherein 
there  were  possibly  three  hundred  knots,  recording  every  article  seized  in  a  raid 
on  a  long-house  ;  every  knot  or  group  of  knots  represented  an  article  or  collection  of 
articles,  and  the  itemized  list  was  read  off  months  and  months  afterward  by  the  man 
who  tied  the  knots,  and,  for  aught  I  know,  he  could  have  remembered  them  for  years. 
Of  course,  none  could  read  it  but  the  man  who  made  it. 


KENYAN   WOMEN   IN  ORDINARY  COSTUME. 

THE  RINGS  STRETCHING  THE  EAR-LOBES  ARE  OF  COPPER,  CAST  BY 
CHINAMEN  AT  THE  BAZAAR.  THE  GIRDLES  OF  BEADS  ROUND  THE  HIPS  ARE 
MADE    IN    GERMANY    AND    IMPORTED    BY    CHINESE    TRADERS. 


CEREMONIES  AT  THE  NAMING   OF  A   CHIEF'S  SON     35 

boo  are  made  tobacco-boxes,  and  quivers  for  the  poisoned 
darts  of  the  blow-pipe.  Such  things  are  carried  only  by  men, 
never  by  women. 

At  the  naming  of  a  girl,  the  Kayu  urip  and  the  Tebuku  are 
placed  in  a  small  basket,  like  those  wherein  rice  is  carried ;  this 
symbolises  women's  work  in  the  rice-fields. 

These  symbols  are  hung  up  in  the  child's  room,  over  the 
sleeping-place,  and  are  ever  after  venerated. 

The  moment  that  Tina  Bulan  had  placed  the  Kayu  urip  and 
the  Tebuku  in  the  bamboo  joint  the  gongs  ceased,  and  I  think  a 
sigh  of  relief  swept  over  the  whole  assembly.  Thus  far  no 
sound  of  evil  omen  had  been  heard ;  indeed,  any  malevolent 
lizard  or  rancorous  frog,  in  order  to  make  his  fateful  croak  audi- 
ble above  the  indescribable  din  of  those  fearsome  gongs,  would 
have  to  employ  a  siren  whistle  with  megaphone  attachment. 

The  little  baby  was  now  danced  and  jiggled  and  carried  about 
in  its  sling  to  stop  its  wailing.  Several  young  girls  and  old 
women  handed  round  on  flat  baskets,  heaps  of  little  packages  of 
salt  and  ginger-root  wrapped  in  pieces  of  green  banana  leaf; 
these,  together  with  two  or  three  bananas,  they  distributed  to 
each  guest, 

Tama  Talun,  who  sat  beside  me  on  the  floor  throughout  the 
ceremony,  and  with  genuine  courtesy  explained  from  time  to  time 
what  was  going  on,  told  me  that  the  salt,  the  ginger,  and  the 
sweet  banana  indicated  what  it  was  hoped  would  be  the  future 
disposition  of  the  child,  namely,  he  should  be  duly  calm,  hot,  and 
gentle,  never  sluggish  nor  apathetic.  Of  course,  I  opened  my 
package,  ate  a  pinch  of  salt,  nibbled  the  ginger-root,  and  wished 
the  while  good  luck  to  the  babe ;  then  cheerfully  pledged  him 
in  a  cup  of  arrack,  which  was  also  passed  to  each  guest.  This 
apparently  completed  the  ceremonies  of  the  first  day  for  Tama 
Bulan,  Junior  (I  cannot  call  him  by  his  real  name  ;  what  that  was, 
as  yet  not  a  soul  but  his  father  and  mother  knew).  The  women 
all  arose  and  began  to  file  out  of  the  room ;  wishing  not  to  miss 
anything,  I  too  rose  up,  and  was  slowly  making  my  way  among 
them  to  the  door  when  I  became  aware  of  an  unusual  amount 
of  giggling  around  me,  nay,  of  several  explosions  of  laughter 
from  the  men  in  the  room  behind  me.  I  turned  about  and 
saw  all  their  faces  on  a  broad  erin.     What  ridiculous  breach  of 


36  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

etiquette  had  I  committed  ?  I  paused,  and  good-natured  Tama 
Talun  came  to  my  rescue,  shouting  out  over  the  heads  of  the 
rest,  '  Go  on,  Tuan,  it's  all  right ;  they  are  only  foolishly  laughing 
because  the  Tuan  seems  to  think  he  is  a  woman.  We  men  have 
to  stay  behind  until  all  the  women  get  into  the  next  room.' 
With  the  exception  of  Dr.  Hiller,  I  was  the  only  one  in  that 
dusky  assemblage  that  could  blush ;  my  cheeks  and  forehead  at 
once  fulfilled  their  duty,  and  I  gently  edged  out  of  the  crowd. 

It  is  usual,  on  the  naming-day  of  a  Chief's  son,  to  bestow 
names  on  all  the  babies  of  a  befitting  age  in  the  house ;  advan- 
tage must  be  taken  of  the  same  auspicious  day.  Therefore  as 
soon  as  the  ceremony  was  thus  far  completed  in  Tama  Bulan's 
room,  there  was  a  second  wild  uproar  of  gongs  a  little  further 
down  the  veranda,  and  to  this  room  the  guests  all  repaired. 
There,  the  same  ceremonies  were  repeated,  except,  as  I  men- 
tioned before,  only  four  measures  of  rice  were  apportioned  for 
the  humbler  folk  ;  but,  nevertheless,  eight  grains  were  tied  up  in 
each  knot  of  the  Tebuku. 

Thus  it  went  on  throughout  that  whole  day ;  the  guests  wan- 
dering from  room  to  room,  tasting  pinches  of  salt,  nibbling  ginger, 
sipping  arrack,  and  stuffing  themselves  with  bananas ;  between 
whiles  cooling  off  by  bathing  in  the  river. 

The  rites  of  the  first  day  are  but  preliminary  to  the  more 
august  ceremonies  of  the  second  day,  which  are  conducted  in 
public  outside  the  Chief's  room,  in  the  veranda,  opposite  to  his 
door,  where  all  the  household  and  guests  can  assemble  to  wel- 
come the  youngster  as  soon  as  his  name  is  proclaimed. 

When  the  morning  meal  was  over,  the  strong  young  men  of 
the  household,  provided  with  rattan  ropes,  descended  to  the 
muddy  wallows  among  the  massive  upright  posts  that  support  the 
house,  and  began  at  once  to  give  chase  to  the  pigs.  These 
knowing,  omen-yielding  animals  perform  a  highly  important  part 
in  the  rites,  but  they  pay  the  dear  forfeit  of  their  lives  for  the 
privilege ;  they  seemed  verily  to  suspect,  on  the  present  occa- 
sion, the  fate  in  store  for  them,  and,  at  an  early  hour,  had  ungra- 
ciously betaken  themselves  to  the  woods.  An  hour  passed,  then 
another,  and  then  another, — and  no  hunter  with  his  pig  had 
returned.  Tama  Bulan  gradually  became  greatly  worried,  and 
kept  reiterating  that  no  one  could  estimate  how  evil  would  be 


CEREMONIES  AT  THE  NAMING   OF  A   CHIEF'S  SON      37 

the  omen  if  the  large  pig  which  he  had  destined  for  this  ceremony 
could  not  be  found.  At  last,  however,  cheering  shouts  were 
heard  from  the  neighboring  jungle,  and,  soon  after,  one  by  one, 
the  pigs,  six  or  se\en  in  number,  with  tJie  pig  to  the  fore,  were 
brought  up  to  the  veranda,  slung  on  poles,  with  their  four  feet 
tied  together  ;  here  they  were  plumped  down  in  a  row  close  to 
the  place  where  the  rites  were  to  be  held. 

On  the  hearth,  below  the  row  of  human  skulls  hanging  oppo- 
site the  Chief's  door,  there  must  now  be  started  New  Fire, — that 
is,  fire  produced  by  the  fire-saw,  the  most  primitive  method  of 
obtaining  it,  and,  possibly,  because  it  is  the  most  primitive,  it  is 
obligatory  at  all  august  ceremonies.  According  to  tradition 
among  the  Kayans  and  Kenyahs,  one  of  the  early  inhabitants  of 
the  earth,  named  Laki  Oi,  the  Prometheus  of  Kayan  mythology, 
taught  the  people  this  method,  and  called  it  '  Musa  ; '  he  also 
invented  the  fire-drill,  which  he  called  '  Nalika.'  The  Musa 
consists  of  a  piece  of  soft  fibrous  wood,  which  is  held  down 
by  the  feet,  firmly  on  the  ground,  and  rests  upon  a  bundle  of  fine 
slivers  of  dry  wood;  underneath  it,  is  passed  a  strip  of  dry  but 
flexible  bamboo,  which  is  sawed  back  and  forth  until  the  friction 
starts  a  spark  in  the  fine  dust  which  has  been  thereby  rubbed  up  ; 
the  spark  is  fostered  and  soon  blown  into  a  flame  in  the  bundle 
of  slivers.  When  the  materials  are  in  proper  condition,  fire  can 
be  produced  in  much  less  than  a  minute.  Should  all  the  fires  in 
a  house  go  out,  or  when  fire  is  to  be  started  for  the  first  time  in 
a  new  house,  the  Musa  is  the  only  method  whereby  fire  may  be 
kindled, — no  flint  and  steel,  nor  fire-drill,  nor  fire-syringe,  nor 
matches,  (common  enough,  thanks  to  the  Chinese  bazaar,)  can  be 
used  ;  it  must  be  the  Musa,  and  the  Musa  alone.  At  the  naming 
of  a  child,  the  piece  of  soft  wood  is  carved  into  a  grotesque  head 
at  one  end.  The  image  thus  made  is  called  '  Laki  Pesong,'  the 
god  of  the  Musa. 

But  to  return  to  Tama  Bulan's  house.  As  soon  as  New  Fire 
had  been  kindled,  the  gongs,  as  on  the  day  before,  began  their 
deafening  clangour ;  the  parents,  looking  very  grave,  slowly 
emerged  from  their  '  Lamin,'  ox  private  room.  The  mother  car- 
ried the  baby,  who,  for  a  wonder,  was  not  crying, — but  I  could 
see  by  his  expression  that  he  was  well  primed  for  a  vigorous 
bawl  on  the  slightest  provocation.     Solemnly  they  marched  and 


38  HO  ME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

took  their  places  on  the  large  mat  close  to  the  hearth.  Some 
strong  youths  now  seized  the  big  black  pig,  Tama  Bulan's  prime 
selection,  and  partly  lifting  it,'^and  partly  swinging  it  about  by  the 
ears  and  tail,  not  without  squealings  which  would  have  been 
ear-piercing  but  for  the  gongs,  they  hauled  it  up  close  beside  the 
Chief.     Across  the  swine's  body  and  over  its  neck  were  wreathed 


The  Stick,  '  Laki  Pesong,'  and  Strips  of  bamboo  used  in  making  New  Fire. 
One-quarter  of  the  natural  size. 


the  mother's  most  prized  and  costly  strings  of  beads ;  according 
to  Kenyah  computation,  the  value  of  these  beads  amounted  to 
the  price  of  several  slaves,  or  probably  to  the  cost  of  two  whole 
houses.  I  suppose  that  this  was  not  merely  for  the  sake  of 
decorating  the  victim,  but  was  designed  to  flatter  and  cajole  it 


MAKING  FIRE  WITH  A  'FIRE-DRILL.' 

THE  PIECE  OF  WOOD  WHICH  IS  HELD  UPON  THE  GROUND  MUST  BE 
SOFT,  FIBROUS,  AND  DRY;  THE  STICK  WHICH  IS  DRILLED  INTO  IT  IS  HARD. 
FIRE  CAN  BE  THUS  STARTED  IN  ABOUT  FORTY  SECONDS.  THIS  METHOD  OF 
PRODUCING  FIRE  IS  NOT  HELD  TO  BE  SACRED,  AS  IS  THAT  OF  CREATING 
FIRE    WITH    THE  'MUSA'    OR    FIRE-SAW. 


CEREMONIES  AT  THE  NAMING   OF  A   CHIEF'S  SON 


39 


into  having  a  beautiful  liver,  overspread  with  bright  omens  for 
her  boy. 

The  relatives  and  the  guests  disposed  themselves  in  a  large 
circle  around  the  solemn  parents,  the  infant,  and  the  pig ; 
directly  in  front,  and  facing  them,  the  Dayong  sat  cross-legged, 
a  very  tall  and  skinny  old  man,  whose  lower  jaw  was  furnished 
with  but  one  tooth,  which,  when  he  omitted  to  suck  it  in,  stuck 
out  at  right  angles.  He  did  not  wear,  as  far  as  I  could  see,  any 
peculiar  costume  or  badge  of  office ;  he  was  clad  in  nothing  but 
an  ordinary  loin-cloth. 

When  the  assemblage  had  settled  themselves  in  their  places, 
some  sitting  on  the  floor,  others  standing  on  the  large  rice  mor- 
tars so  that  they  could  look  into  the  centre  of  the  circle,  the  old 
Dayong  arose,  and  grasping  in  his  right  hand  a  parang  and  a 
stick,  the  latter  cut  into  a  brush  of  splinters  at  one  end,  with  his 
left  hand  he  sprinkled  water  upon  them  from  a  bowl  held  by  an 
assistant.  The  dripping  stick  and  the  parang  he  waved  over  the 
child's  head  and  muttered  words,  which  Tama  Talun,  again  my 
kind  interpreter,  said  expressed  the  desire  that  the  life  of  the 
child  might  be  as  '  laram,'  cool,  as  the  water  he  was  sprinkling 
over  it* 

To  insure  protection  to  the  child  against  evil  Spirits,  a  young 
chicken  was  waved  above  and  around  it,  as  on  the  previous 
day ;  and  then  at  once  the  chicken's  head  was  chopped  off  and 
some  of  its  blood  smeared  on  the  baby's  hand.  This  indignity 
supplied  the  provocation,  which,  from  the  first,  I  had  anticipated, 
and  instantly  stirred  up  all  the  depravity  of  the  infant,  who  had 
been  thus  far  just  as  quiet  as  a  lamb ;  the  gongs  now  stopped 
their  din,  but  the  bonnie  babe  proved  an  excellent  substitute,  and 
awoke  every  echo  in  the  smoky  rafters  overhead.  He  kicked, 
and  roared,  and  wriggled  in  his  mother's  lap,  bent  himself  back- 
ward, and  beat  with  his  little  fists  at  the  fluttering  chicken  every 
time  it  was  waved  near  his  face ;  I  was  really  afraid  he  would 

*  The  words  '  laram,'  cool,  and  '  manin,'  hot,  are  used  idiomatically  ;  if  a  man  is 
told  to  do  anything,  he  need  not  instantly  obey,  as  long  as  the  command  is,  as  he  says, 
still  '  manin ;'  if  a  man  lay  down  a  tool  for  which  another  has  been  waiting,  the 
tool  must  not  be  instantly  picked  up,  it  is  still  'manin.'  A  heavy,  or,  perhaps,  an 
unjust  fine,  is  termed  '  manin.'  The  sense  in  which  the  old  Dayong  here  used  the 
word  '  laram '  is,  I  think,  quiet  and  firm,  like  Tama  Bulan,  not  hot-headed  and 
inconstant. 


40  HO  ME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

burst  a  blood-vessel  so  scarlet  did  his  little  body  become  with  the 
exertion  of  expelling  those  piercing  shrieks ;  not  a  tear  issued 
from  his  eyes,  and  the  bunches  of  pewter  rings  in  his  stringy 
little  ears  kept  flapping  against  his  cheeks  as  he  shook  his  head 
and  thrashed  about  in  violent  contortions.  He  never  once 
stopped  bawling  throughout  all  the  rest  of  the  ceremony. 

All  evil  Spirits  having  been  now  effectually  dispelled,  the 
Dayong  squatted  down  by  the  pig,  and  taking  from  the  fire  a 
small  stick  of  wood  with  a  glowing  end  he  touched  it  to  the  pig's 
side,  by  way  of  caUing  the  poor  beast's  attention  to  what  he  was 
about  to  say.  When  the  pig's  struggles  had  calmed  down,  the 
old  man  laid  his  hands  on  its  side  and  soothingly  addressed  it  as 
'  Balli  Boin  Akan,  Balli  Boin  Akan,'  and  begged  it  to  intercede 
with  Penylong  and  Perbungan,  and  to  tell  unerringly  whether  or 
not  the  name  now  about  to  be  given  to  the  child  had  been  auspi- 
ciously chosen.  The  name  had  never  yet  been  divulged ;  even  the 
old  Dayong  knew  not  what  it  was.  It  was  an  absolute  secret 
between  Tama  Bulan  and  the  mother  of  the  child.  Some  days 
before,  not  knowing  that  the  name  was  thus  sacredly  secret,  I 
had  asked  what  it  was  to  be,  but  Tama  Bulan  courteously  told 
me  that  it  Avas  utterly  impossible  for  him  to  reveal  it.  All 
through  this  ceremony,  Tama  Bulan  sat  cross-legged  beside  his 
wife  quietly,  every  feature  wearing  a  very  serious  expression, 
keenly  watching  the  Dayong. 

Most  of  the  time,  the  mother  sat  with  her  legs  straight  out  in 
front  of  her,  and  with  her  squirming  baby  wriggling  on  her  knees 
from  side  to  side  ;  she  kept  her  eyes  cast  down,  watching  the 
child,  but  never  attempting  to  stop  its  bawling,  to  which,  indeed, 
no  one  seemed  to  pay  the  slightest  attention. 

Little  Adom  had  a  view  better,  of  course,  than  any  body 
except  the  principals ;  there  he  was  lying  flat  on  his  face  on  a 
beam  directly  above  the  naming-party,  his  legs  and  arms  dang- 
ling down  on  either  side.  When  I  caught  sight  of  him  his  little, 
black  eyes  danced  with  mischief,  and  from  his  lofty  perch  he 
defied  us  with  that  impudent  gesture  which,  in  an  unhappy 
hour,  I  had  taught  him :  putting  his  thumb  to  his  nose,  twirling 
his  fingers,  and  winking  and  blinking  his  eyes  and  lolling  his 
tongue  out  like  a  veritable  little  goblin.  All  the  solemnity  in  the 
world  could  never  impress  him. 


CEREMONIES  AT  THE  NAMING  OF  A   CHIEF'S  SON      41 

When  the  Dayong  had  finished  his  address  to  the  pig,  italicis- 
ing important  words  by  prods  in  the  ribs  with  a  bony  thumb,  he 
took  up  a  strip  of  bamboo,  such  as  is  used  for  the  fire-saw,  and, 
bending  it  into  a  loop  so  that  the  two  ends  just  touched,  he  set 
fire  to  it  at  the  bend  and  allowed  it  to  burn  through.  The  burn- 
ing of  this  loop  was  watched  with  breathless  interest  by  Tama 
Bulan,  as  well  as  by  a  group  of  old  crones  who  had  now 
gathered  close  about  the  Dayong.  When  the  loop  snapped 
asunder  and  the  flame  went  out,  the  Dayong  put  the  two  strips 
side  by  side  and  so  rested  the  unburnt  ends  on  his  thumb-nail 
as  to  make  them  exactly  even,  and  then  closely  scrutinized  the 
burnt  ends.  He  said  not  a  word,  but  ominously  shook  his  head, 
assumed  a  troubled  expression,  and  even  forgot  to  suck  in  his 
solitary  tooth.  The  two  strips  were  taken  from  him  by  one 
of  the  old  women  and  subjected  to  the  same  measurement  and 
scrutiny,  except  that  she  kept  up  a  constant  argument,  and  a 
shaking  of  her  head ;  finally,  she  fumbled  over  the  burnt  ends 
and  knocked  off  a  little  particle  of  ash  just  ready  to  fall ;  then 
she  held  them  up  before  the  Dayong,  and  the  tone  of  what  she 
uttered  was  decidedly  more  reassuring.  He  measured  them 
again  very  closely,  and  seemed  to  be  better  pleased.  Tama  Bulan 
could  restrain  himself  no  longer,  but  got  up  hastily  to  examine 
the  strips  for  himself;  he  also  rubbed  with  his  finger  one  of  the 
charred  ends,  and  then  adjusted  the  sound  ends  on  his  thumb- 
nail, but  he  shook  his  head,  and  said,  somewhat  despairingly. 
'  I'm  afraid  one  is  much  too  long.'  Hereupon,  the  ever  kind 
Tama  Talun  explained  to  us  that  by  these  strips  it  is  decided 
whether  or  not  the  undivulged  name  which  had  been  chosen  is 
a  good  one ;  if  the  two  pieces  are  of  exactly  the  same  length, 
the  omen  is  unfavorable  ;  if  they  are  very  unequal  in  length, 
the  name  is  likewise  ill-chosen.  There  should  be  just  the 
tiniest,  slightest  difference  in  the  length  of  the  strips ;  then  it  is 
absolutely  certain  that  the  name  is  well-chosen.  (Ah !  what  a 
shrewd,  clever  head  devised  this  augury !  how  easy  by  this  rule 
of  thumb-nail  to  make  the  difference  slight,  and  how  hard  to 
make  the  strips  exactly  even  or  greatly  uneven  !)  So  it  happened 
that,  after  the  strips  had  passed  over  the  thumb-nails  of  half  a 
dozen  of  the  wisest  crones  and  toothless  old  men,  they  were 
returned  to  the  Dayong,  who  was  now  fully  convinced  that  his 


42  HOME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

first  measurements  had  been  entirely  wrong,  and  he  now  emphat- 
ically declared  that  the  omens  were  most  auspicious.  Through- 
out this  momentous  discussion  the  object  of  it  all  kept  up  an 
unintermitting  bawl ;  if  the  evil  Spirits  have  ears,  never  during 
this  hour  would  they  have  molested  him  ;  there  was  no  need 
of  gongs  with  that  baby  to  the  fore. 

The  charred  ends  of  the  bamboo  strips  were  then  dipped  in  a 
cocoanut  shell  of  water  held  by  one  of  the  old  women  standing 
near ;  the  ash  and  water  were  mixed  by  the  Dayong  into  a  paste 
between  his  thumb  and  finger  and  smeared  on  the  baby's  fore- 
head and  in  its  hair.  At  the  instant  of  doing  this  he  leaned  for- 
ward and  asked  Tama  Bulan  what  name  he  had  selected.  Tama 
Bulan  whispered  mysteriously  very  low  close  to  the  Dayong's 
ear.  The  Dayong  then  reached  for  the  cocoanut  shell  of  water 
held  by  the  old  woman,  and  most  carefully  and  solemnly 
advanced  it  toward  the  child ;  the  shell  was  nervously  followed 
every  inch  of  the  way  by  four  or  five  pairs  of  brown  claw-like, 
old  hands  with  anxious  zeal,  lest  a  drop  of  its  precious  contents 
should  be  spilled ;  in  spite  of  the  risk  it  ran  from  this  excess  of 
zeal,  it  got  to  its  destination  safely,  and  the  very  instant  that  the 
water  was  poured  over  the  head  of  the  baby  the  Dayong  said  aloud, 
impressively,  '  Be  thy  name  Lijow! '  The  name,  for  the  first  time 
thus  uttered  aloud,  was  murmured  throughout  the  large  assem- 
blage, and  the  happiness  of  the  selection  commended  with  *  nods 
and  becks  and  wreathed  smiles ;  *  it  was  the  name  of  one  of 
Tama  Bulan's  ancestors,  and  means  Tiger.  (It  is  unlucky  to 
name  a  child  after  a  living  person, — it  is  apt  to  make  the  child 
stupid ;  and  it  is  fatal  to  select  the  name  of  one  who  has  recently 
died, — speedy  death  follows.) 

The  cocoanut  shell  was  now  refilled  with  home-made  arrack, 
whereof  a  drop  was  placed  on  little  Lijow's  lips  from  the  finger 
of  the  Dayong ;  then  the  mother,  henceforth  Tina  Lijow,  took 
a  sip  from  it,  and  Tama  Bulan  drained  it  to  the  dregs,  whereof  I 
imagine  there  were  plenty,  due  to  the  Dayong's  grimy  finger. 
Then  the  Dayong  poured  out  a  measure  for  himself,  and  then 
we,  as  guests  of  importance,  were  courteously  served,  and  after 
us  followed  all  the  rest  of  the  guests  in  turn.  Again,  as  on  the 
first  day,  packages  of  salt,  ginger-root,  and  bananas  were  passed 
around,  and  The  Ceremony  was  over.     Everything  had  gone  off 


CEREMONIES  A  T  THE  NAMING   OF  A   CHIEF'S  SON     43 

to  perfection,  not  an  evil  omen  had  marred  its  smooth  success, 
— thanks  to  the  gongs  and  the  strength  of  dear  httle  Lijow's 
lungs ;  if  his  voice  keeps  its  promise  until  manhood,  he  will 
make  himself  heard  throughout  Sarawak. 

It  now  only  remained  to  wrap  up  the  precious  strips  of  bam- 
boo in  a  piece  of  banana  leaf  and  place  them  in  the  bamboo 
joint  along  with  the  symbols  of  the  first  day's  rites.  After  this 
was  properly  accomplished,  the  *  Balli  Boin,'  that  sacred  pig,  was 
killed,  and  his  considerate  liver  politely  proclaimed  in  its  every 
tint  that  Lijow's  life  would  be  all  that  the  heart  of  a  devoted 
Kenyah  parent  could  desire. 

Tama  Bulan,  with  a  beaming  face,  said  to  us,  '  Don't  forget 
to  tell  Tuan  Hote  [Hose]  that  I  have  called  my  boy  Lijow;  he 
wanted  to  know  what  the  name  was  to  be,  but  I  couldn't  tell 
him  then.' 

The  naming  of  little  Lijow  having  been  thus  most  success- 
fully finished,  the  Chief's  family  party  moved  out  of  the  circle 
gathered  about  the  hearth,  and  another  family  party  took  its 
place  in  front  of  the  Dayong ;  their  Balli  Boin  was  hoisted  and 
pulled  into  position,  and  the  same  ceremonies  with  the  taking  of 
omens  were  punctiliously  repeated.  Of  course,  for  these  people 
of  lesser  rank,  there  was  not  felt  the  same  widespread  interest 
as  for  the  Chiefs  son,  and,  therefore,  the  assemblage  gradually 
dwindled ;  the  cool  river  offered  more  attractions  than  the  hot, 
breezeless  veranda,  with  its  din  of  gongs  and  of  squalling  babies 
and  of  squealing  pigs,  and  its  loud-voiced  Dayong  with  an 
unruly,  projecting  tooth.  I  think  there  were  in  all  six  babies 
named  on  that  day,  and  by  the  time  the  last  had  been  proclaimed 
a  member  of  the  clan  the  afternoon  was  well  advanced. 

Many  a  jar  of  arrack  had  been  broached  during  the  cere- 
monies, consequently  all  the  members  of  the  household  and  their 
guests  were  decidedly  fain  to  sing  and  dance.  The  raised  portion 
of  the  flooring  extending  along  the  greater  part  of  the  veranda 
under  the  eaves  was  lined  with  men  waiting  in  turn  for  the  cups 
of  arrack  that  were  freely  passed  from  lip  to  lip.  Tama  Bulan 
beamed  upon  his  whole  large  household,  and  with  his  own  hands 
dipped  out  the  mild  drink  from  the  large  jars  with  a  ladle  made 
from  a  seed  of  the  Billian  tree  (iron-wood).  The  minor  notes  of 
Kaluris  now  resounded,  and  here  and  there  on  the  floor  of  huge, 


44  HO  ME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

broad  planks,  for  which  Tama  Bulan's  house  is  famous,  the  horny 
feet  of  dancers  thumped  and  shuffled  and  scraped  as  one  after 
another  essayed  to  outdo  all  predecessors  in  the  wild  movements 
of  a  war-dance.  They  leaped  in  the  air,  waving  their  parang  and 
shield ;  they  stamped  in  time  to  the  music ;  they  whirled  and 
twisted,  sometimes  falling  on  one  knee,  slashing  at  imaginary 
foes ;  the  long  feathers  of  the  Argus  pheasant  waved  from  their 
war-caps,  and  the  black  and  white  feathers  of  the  horn-bill  rattled 
on  their  war-coats  and  glittered  in  the  crimson  level  rays  of  the 
sun  that  swept  in  under  the  eaves  of  the  house.  Now  was  the 
time  to  bring  forth  the  great  horn-bill  with  its  plumage  of 
cigarettes ;  it  was  tenderly  moved  to  a  beam  within  easy  reach, 
and  its  bristling  feathers,  which  had  cost  so  much  fair  labor, 
were  greedily  snatched  off,  and  in  a  trice  the  atmosphere  of  the 
veranda,  thick  with  tobacco-smoke,  became  even  to  the  long 
rays  of  the  setting  sun  almost  impenetrable. 

While  this  smoking  was  literally  in  full  blast,  the  women 
retired  to  their  rooms  and  arrayed  themselves  in  every  bit  and 
shred  that  they  possessed  of  gaudy  bead-work,  for  their  necks, 
their  ears,  and  their  waists  ;  they  donned  their  brightest  fillets  for 
the  hair,  and  they  tied  round  their  waists  their  skirts  of  black 
cloth  with  patches  of  bright  calico  stitched  down  the  side. 
Down  to  their  waists,  except  for  these  bead  necklaces,  they  were, 
as  usual,  bare. 

The  withdrawal  of  the  women  was  a  signal  to  the  men  to 
range  themselves  in  two  long  rows  facing  each  other ;  thus  they 
sat  on  the  floor,  pufiRng  hard  at  their  cigarettes  and  chuckling 
with  one  another  in  anticipation  of  the  ordeal  they  were  about  to 
undergo.  From  one  of  the  rooms  the  women  issued  in  single 
file ;  she  who  headed  the  procession  carried  a  large  bowl,  the 
next  carried  a  cocoanut-shell  spoon,  the  third  bore  a  large  flat 
dish  piled  high  with  cubes  of  raw  fat  pork,  behind  her,  fourth  in 
the  line,  followed  Bulan,  the  daughter  of  the  house,  who  carried 
nothing ;  but  everyone  could  see,  by  the  twinkle  of  her  eye,  that 
she  meant  mischief;  this  same  order  : — bowl-bearer,  spoon-bearer, 
pork-bearer,  helper,  was  preserved  in  a  regular  series  all  down 
.the  whole  line  of  sixty  or  more  women. 

Sedately  and  slowly  and  silently  they  marched  the  whole 
length  of  the  veranda  close  to  the  wall  of  the  apartments,  and 


CEREMONIES  AT  THE  NAMING  OF  A   CHIEF'S  SON    45 

then  turned  in  between  the  Hnes  of  squatting  men.  When  the 
first  man  was  reached,  the  procession  halted,  and  from  the  bowl 
held  by  the  first  woman,  the  spoon-bearer  dipped  a  spoonful  of 
a  muddy-looking  hquid  and  poured  it  into  the  man's  gaping 
mouth.  As  it  touched  his  tongue,  his  face  was  a  study  in  con- 
tortions ;  when  the  spoon  was  withdrawn  he  tried  first  to  smile, 
then  his  eyes  were  lost  in  wrinkles,  his  mouth  puckered  up,  he 
looked  seasick,  and  then  with  a  shudder  that  shook  his  frame, 
gulped  down  his  dose  ;  the  spoon-bearer  passed  on,  then  the 
bearer  of  the  pork  cubes  halted  in  front  of  him,  and  Bulan, 
taking  from  the  dish  one  of  those  nauseating  gray,  greasy,  tepid 
cubes  of  raw  fat,  popped  it  dexterously  into  his  mouth  and  then 
wiped  her  greasy  fingers  across  his  upturned  face.  Again  shud- 
dering tremors  shook  his  frame,  but — he  bolted  it !  then  gazed 
about  him  with  a  sickly  smile.  Down  both  lines  there  burst  forth 
peals  on  peals  of  laughter ;  the  men  shouted  and  stamped  their 
feet  with  merriment  over  the  victim's  misery,  unmindful  that  his 
fate  would  soon  be  theirs.  The  women  tried  hard  to  maintain 
their  gravity,  but  the  varied  and  ludicrous  sufferings  of  their 
lords  and  masters  were  often  too  much  for  their  dignity,  and  they 
unreservedly  joined  in  the  mirth ;  to  those  against  whom  they 
had  any  private  grudge  they  administered  an  extra  dose,  or 
stirred  up  the  dregs  of  the  drink,  or  bestowed  a  particularly 
flabby  and  repulsive  piece  of  pork.  As  we  sat  about  half  way 
down  the  line,  we  had  quite  a  while  to  await  our  turn,  and  to 
speculate  on  the  ingredients  of  the  awful  drink, — it  was  almost 
adequately  nauseating  that  we  should  have  to  take  it  out  of  that 
family,  that  tribal  spoon.  My  turn  came  at  last.  Well,  it  was  a 
ghastly  dose  and  no  mistake.  It  was  lukewarm,  it  was  fiery  hot 
with  peppers,  it  was  salt,  it  was  pungent,  it  was  sweet,  it  was  flat, 
it  was  sour,  and  it  tasted  strongly  of  brass  bowl.  All  this  was 
administered  from  a  spoon  that  without  washing  or  wiping  had 
been  already  in  the  mouths  of  thirty  or  forty  black-toothed 
predecessors.  Our  uncontrollable  and  immeasurable  disgust 
created  infinite  amusement  and  prolonged  laughter,  and  when 
Bulan,  full  of  mischievous  merriment,  followed  with  the  pork 
cubes,  knowing  that  she  had  the  Tuans  at  her  mercy,  she  did 
not  leave  the  fraction  of  an  inch  of  our  faces  that  was  not 
bedaubed  with  grease.     And  then  how  she  laughed !     As  though 


46  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

one  such  dose  was  not  enough,  there  was  the  prospect  before  us 
of  having  it,  Heaven  save  the  mark  !  again  and  again  administered 
down  to  the  very  last  woman  of  that  long,  interminable  proces- 
sion ;  first  a  spoonful  of  that  appaUing,  unnameable  liquid  !  then  a 
mouthful  of  raw  pork  !  The  devoted  Tama  Bulan  and  Tama 
Talun  came  at  length  to  our  rescue,  and  told  us  that  after  the 
first  two  or  three  doses  there  would  be  no  offence  if  we  just 
dipped  our  finger  in  the  drink  and  touched  it  to  our  tongue,  and 
if  we  merely  took  the  pork  between  our  lips  ;  sometimes  this 
evasion  was  successful,  but  now  and  then  the  drink  was  forced 
upon  us,  and  we  got  a  worse  smearing  from  greasy  fingers. 
Shrewd  old  Laki  La,  profiting  by  experience  at  other  similar 
feasts,  held  a  tumbler  under  his  chin,  and  as  fast  as  the  drink  and 
pork  were  deposited  in  his  mouth  they  were  re-deposited  in  the 
tumbler.  Tama  Usong,  to  whose  house  on  the  Apoh  River  we 
had  paid  a  visit  only  a  little  while  before,  sat  next  to  me,  and  I 
asked  him  how  he  was  getting  along,  and  if  his  stomach  was  not 
nearly  full.  *  Oh,  no,  indeed,  Tuan,'  said  he,  laughing ;  *  I  long 
ago  put  my  stomach  out  here,'  and  he  pointed  behind  him  to  a 
row,  a  foot  long,  of  cubes  of  pork  which  he  had  surreptitiously 
deposited  on  the  railing  of  the  veranda.  It  was  a  hideous  night- 
mare !  But  at  last  the  little  girls  brought  up  the  end  of  the 
procession,  and  then  the  greater  part  of  the  assembly  dashed  for 
the  river  to  wash  off  a  little  of  the  fat  with  which  their  faces 
were  fairly  dripping. 

Tama  Talun  explained  to  us  that  this  was  a  survival  of  old 
times,  when  warriors  returned  from  a  head-hunt,  and  sat  thus 
and  were  obliged  to  take  in  their  mouths  a  small  piece  of  their 
enemy's  flesh,  served  to  them  just  as  the  fat  pork  is  served  now- 
a-days.  They  were  not  to  swallow  the  human  flesh,  but  merely 
hold  it  between  their  lips  to  show  contempt  for  the  enemy,  and 
also  thereby  to  absorb  his  valour.  Dr.  Hose,  when  told  of  this 
interpretation,  asserted  that  the  object  of  this  ceremony  is  to 
impress  evil  Spirits,  who,  when  they  see  so  many  men  with  faces 
smeared  with  food,  will  be  led  to  think  that  a  very  great  feast  had 
taken  place  in  honor  of  the  newly  named  children,  and  that,  there- 
fore, these  children  must  be  most  important  people,  and  to  harm 
them  would  stir  the  anger  of  a  vast  multitude.  Dr.  Hose's 
knowledge  of  the  Kenyahs  extends  over  so  many  years  that  it  is 


CEREMONIES  AT  THE  NAMING   OF  A    CHIEF'S  SON      47 

venturesome  to  dissent  from  him  ;  nevertheless,  our  interpretation 
was  received  directly  from  an  unusually  intelligent  native,  while 
the  ceremony  was  going  on  before  us,  and  was,  moreover,  given 
voluntarily  without  any  questions  on  our  part.  D.r.  Hose  rejects 
this  interpretation,  because  of  his  conviction  that  cannibalism,  in 
any  form  whatsoever,  never  existed  in  Borneo. 

By  the  time  we  had  returned  to  our  places  in  the  veranda, 
after  having  washed  off  in  the  river  the  abhorred  grease  from  our 
faces,  the  women  had  doffed  their  uncomfortable  burdens  of 
finery  and  were  squatting  among  the  men,  in  a  close  group  round 
Tama  Bulan,  who  was  cutting  the  rattan  bindings  of  several 
more  large  jars  of  arrack.  The  Chief  was  the  first  to  quaff  the 
beverage,  and  as  he  lifted  the  cup  to  his  lips  the  whole  assemblage 
began  to  intone  a  continuous  '  00-00-00-00,'  in  harmony  but  with 
a  deep  bass  predominant,  and  kept  up  this  resonant  accompani- 
ment until  the  last  drop  was  drained.  After  Tama  Bulan,  the 
guests  were  served  in  turn,  and  as  each  one  lifted  the  cup  to 
his  lips  (and  it  must  be  drained  to  the  last  drop  at  one  draught) 
this  '  00-00  '-ing  rose  and  fell  like  a  bewildering,  deafening  hum- 
ming in  the  ears  ;  it  was  to  me  a  noteworthy  experience  ;  unques- 
tionably it  marvellously  accelerates  the  action  of  the  alcohol  in 
the  arrack.  When  the  cup  had  been  passed  round  several  times 
to  each  man  and  woman,  and  the  oo-00-ing  was  becoming  some- 
what discordant  and  boisterous,  the  door  of  one  of  the  rooms  was 
flung  open  and  the  genuine  feast  was  brought  in,  piled  high  in 
three  small  canoes  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  men  staggering  under 
the  weight.  One-half  of  each  canoe  was  heaped  with  little  pack- 
ages of  boiled  rice  wrapped  in  green  banana  leaves  and  tied  with 
pieces  of  grass ;  the  other  half  fairly  bristled,  like  a  fretful  por- 
cupine, with  bamboo  skewers  whereon  were  several  bits  of  boiled 
pork.  (It  will,  perhaps,  be  noted  that  a  feast  does  not  consist  in 
variety  or  quality,  but  in  quantity.)  Here  and  there  among  the 
guests  were  placed  bowls  of  salted  fish  pulverised,  and  to  each 
guest  were  given  a  packet  of  rice  and  a  stickful  of  meat,  while 
Tama  Bulan  shouted  the  hospitable  injunction,  '  Kuman  plahei 
plahei ' — Eat  sloidy,  sloivly !  There  was  no  stint ;  everyone 
was  freely  at  liberty  to  have  as  many  portions  of  rice  and  of 
meat  as  he  could  eat,  and  was  welcome  to  help  himself  to  all 
he  wished  of  the  dried  fish. 


48  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

In  my  packet  of  rice  there  was  a  little  discoloration  at  one 
end,  that  looked  like  iron  rust,  but  Ma  Obat,  a  one-eyed  and 
villainous-looking  old  fellow,  who  sat  beside  me,  seeing  that  I 
scrutinized  the  spot  rather  carefully,  politely  took  the  lump  of 
rice  out  of  my  hand,  and  with  a  thumb-nail  that  looked,  I  must 
say,  like  a  coal-heaver's  shovel,  scraped  away  the  dubious  portion 
and  then  handed  the  lump  back  to  me.  The  discolored  grains 
were  gone,  but,  woe's  me,  they  were  replaced  by  several  grimy 
finger-marks.  For  the  sake  of  his  triumphant  and  kindly  beam- 
ing smile  I  could  not  refuse  to  eat  it,  and  so  with  eyes  fixed  on 
the  rafters  overhead, — it  was  bolted  ! 

This  feast  marked  the  conclusion  of  the  ceremonies,  and  we 
stuffed  and  smoked,  and  then  as  darkness  was  beginning  to  fall, 
Dr.  Hiller  and  I,  with  several  of  the  young  men,  strolled  down 
the  veranda  to  pay  respectful  visits  in  the  family  rooms.  In 
Mujan's  room,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  we  found  both  Mujan  and 
her  elder  sister  in  a  state  of — well,  intoxication  ;  the  arrack  and 
the  oo-oo-ing  had  been  too  much  for  them.  Ordinarily,  they 
were  quiet,  demure  girls,  the  belles  of  the  veranda,  and  indus- 
trious workers  at  rice-pounding.  But  such  lapses  are,  accord- 
ing to  Kenyah  morality,  by  no  means  unpardonable,  nay,  at 
such  a  high  tide  and  festival  as  the  present,  were  to  be  rather 
applauded  as  a  great  and  ladylike  compliment  to  the  host.  Mujan 
and  her  sister  were  sitting  with  their  backs  against  the  partition ; 
the  head  of  the  elder  recHned  on  the  shoulder  of  the  younger, 
and,  though  awake,  she  gave,  from  time  to  time,  a  sighing  snore. 
Mujan,  the  younger,  was  trying  to  entertain  a  group  of  visitors, 
and  her  fingers  were  crumpling  cigarette  wrappers  and  tobacco 
in  a  futile  attempt  to  make  some  cigarettes  for  her  friends.  All 
she  could  murmur  to  us  was, '  Aku  mabok,  Tuan,  Aku  mabok' — 
Pvi  drunk,  sirs,  Fni  drunk.  We  stayed  only  a  few  minutes,  joking 
with  her  about  her  state,  and  then  went  with  the  others  to 
visit  Sara,  another  fashionable  belle,  who,  however,  in  our  eyes, 
was  far  from  personally  attractive ;  she  had  lost  four  of  her  upper 
front  teeth  ;  their  loss  made  her  conversation  anything  but  easy 
to  understand.  When  we  arrived,  Sara  had  retired  to  her 
modicum  of  a  sleeping-room,  but  she  was  persuaded  to  emerge, 
and  then  she  announced  that  the  arrack  had  given  her  a  severe 
headache.     Deng's  elder  brother, — I  forget  his  name, — at  once 


SARA,    ANOTHER    BELLE    OF    TAMA    BULAN'S    HOUSEHOLD. 


SHE     WAS     UNATTRACTIVE     IN     APPEARANCE,      BUT     HER     VIVACIOUS     CONVERSA- 
TION   RENDERED    HER    VERY    POPULAR. 
(From  a  photograph  taken,  and  kindly  loaned,  by  Professor  A.  C.  Haddon,  F.  R.  S.) 


CEREMONIES  AT  THE  NAMING   OF  A   CHIEF'S  SON      49 

volunteered  to  apply  cups  to  her  temple,  and  she  acquiesced. 
She  provided  the  cupping  instrument,  which  consisted  of  a  small 
cylinder  of  bamboo,  sealed  at  one  end  with  a  lump  of  wax.  The 
operator,  with  a  small  knife,  scratched  four  or  five  little  wounds 
on  her  temple,  and  then  making  a  small  hole  through  the  lump 
of  wax  on  the  bamboo  cylinder  he  applied  the  open  end  to  the 
wound  and  proceeded  to  suck  the  air  out  of  the  cylinder  with 
his  lips.  When  the  air  was  sufficiently  exhausted  he  closed  the 
hole  in  the  wax  with  his  teeth,  and  the  bamboo  remained  adher- 
ing to  her  temple,  like  a  horn.  She  smiled,  chatted,  and  never 
once  winced  throughout  the  whole  operation,  and  after  about 
half  an  ounce  of  blood  had  been  drawn  pronounced  herself  much 
better. 

Just  at  this  minute,  Tama  Bulan  hurried  into  the  room,  and, 
asking  us  to  come  out,  excitedly  told  us  that  a  woman,  named 
Lueng,  whose  child  had  been  one  of  those  to  receive  a  name 
that  day,  was  very  ill  and  had  fallen  down  in  her  room  sud- 
denly, and  could  not  be  wakened  ;  had  we  ever  heard  of  such 
a  thing,  he  asked,  in  our  country,  or  had  we  by  chance  any 
medicine  for  her.  We  went  at  once  with  him  and  found  the 
women  in  a  state  of  profound  collapse ;  she  had  been  suffering 
from  a  severe  attack  of  grippe,  and  the  excitement  of  the  day 
had  been  too  great  for  her ;  we  could  get  no  further  history  than 
this,  and  from  the  cackling  old  women  who  were  busy  about  her 
and  from  her  husband  and  her  brother  we  could  get  no  coherent 
answers  to  our  questions.  We  did  the  best  we  could  with  our 
limited  resources ;  we  stimulated  her  heart  with  hypodermics  of 
strychnia;  we  had  her  laid  flat  instead  of  propped  up,  as  she 
had  been  by  the  old  women  ;  at  length  she  revived  sufficiently 
to  ask  for  water.  When  we  bade  them  to  give  it  to  her  they 
positively  refused,  saying  we  wanted  to  poison  her  ;  by  administer- 
ing a  hypodermic  injection  we  had  indiscreetly  overstepped  the 
bounds  of  Kenyah  submission  to  the  white  man's  medicine. 
Instead  of  water,  the  old  women  insisted  on  pouring  down  the 
patient's  throat  a  thick,  warm  paste  of  rice  and  water,  at  which, 
of  course,  she  gagged  and  choked.  We  saw  that  our  efforts 
were  of  no  avail,  and  were  therefore  compelled  to  resign  her  to 
her  friends  and  the  Dayongs.  One  very  officious  old  woman 
seemed  to  think  that  the  sovereign  remedy  for  such  ills  was  to 
4 


50  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

reach  and  scratch  the  patient's  back-bone  by  kneading  the  finger- 
tips deep  down  into  the  abdomen.  Indeed,  at  one  time,  I  thought 
she  would  actually  push  her  fingers  through  the  skin  and  tear  the 
vitals  from  the  unconscious  woman.  We  told  Tama  Bulan  that 
we  could  do  nothing  further,  and  that  the  woman  would  probably 
die;  whereupon,  knowing  the  temper  of  his  people,  he  urged  us 
to  leave  her  to  the  Dayongs  and  to  come  away.  Shortly  after, 
as  we  were  sitting  in  the  fading  twilight  in  the  little  apartment 
which  Tama  Bulan  had  caused  to  be  put  up  for  us,  we  saw  them 
bring  the  limp  body  out  of  the  room  and  place  it  on  a  mat  in 
the  veranda,  only  a  few  feet  away  from  our  door.  The  husband 
and  the  brother  were  frantic  with  grief  and  anxiety,  and  con- 
tinually bent  over  her  and  shouted  her  name ;  then  they  took  a 
blow-pipe  and,  putting  one  end  close  to  her  ear,  they  shouted  her 
name  again,  hoping  to  call  back  her  soul  that  was  wandering  off. 
They  told  her  that  her  little  child  was  crying  for  her  and  wanted 
to  be  fed.  I  crept  into  the  group,  once,  and  listened  for  her  heart- 
beats, but  they  had  stopped  for  ever.  Tama  Bulan  asked  me, 
aside,  '  Is  she  alive,  Tuan?'  and  when  I  told  him  she  was  dead, 
he  whispered,  *  Don't  tell  them ;  let  them  discover  it  themselves.' 

A  female  Dayong  was  then  summoned  to  find  out  whither 
the  soul  had  gone,  and  to  lure  it  back  to  the  body ;  to  this  end 
she  made  several  successive  demands  of  valuable  beads  from  the 
husband,  as  a  fee,  and  the  agonised,  headlong  haste  with  which 
he  ran  to  get  them  from  time  to  time,  was  truly  pathetic. 

I  have  said  elsewhere  that  I  could  detect  among  this  people 
no  signs  of  genuine,  unselfish  affection.  Perhaps  this  should  be 
qualified  by  saying  that  at  the  solemn  hour  of  death,  or  of  its 
threatened  approach,  they  manifest  an  emotion  in  which  there 
certainly  seems  to  be  an  element  of  affection,  but  even  then  alarm 
or  terror  seems  to  predominate. 

A  flickering  damar  lamp  was  placed  on  the  floor  near  the 
body,  and  within  the  circle  of  its  light  the  old  hag  of  a  Dayong, 
chanting  in  a  monotonous  minor  key,  strutted  backward  and  for- 
ward with  a  shield  in  one  hand  and  a  parang  in  the  other,  and 
many  strings  of  beads  about  her  neck  and  waist.  Twice  she 
paused  to  ask  for  a  young  chicken,  and  when  it  was  handed  to 
her,  she  seized  its  head  in  her  mouth  and  bit  it  off,  sucked  a 
mouthful  of  blood  from  the  neck  and  spat  it  on  the  floor,  closely 


CEREMONIES  AT  THE  NAMING  OF  A    CHIEF'S  SON      51 

scrutinising  how  it  had  splattered.  Throughout  this  scene  the 
grief-stricken,  wailing  reiteration  of  the  dead  woman's  name 
echoed  through  the  veranda,  now  but  dimly  lit  with  damar  lamps ; 
every  sound  of  mirth  and  gaiety  was  hushed ;  the  only  noise, 
except  the  wailings  and  the  Dayong,  came  from  the  dogs  and 
the  pigs  beneath  the  house,  where  they  snarled  and  fought  over 
the  remnants  of  the  feast  that  had  fallen  through  the  floor. 

When  the  female  Dayong  had  done  her  utmost  to  recall  the 
soul,  and  had  failed,  our  good,  faithful  friend,  Tama  Talun, 
volunteered  to  try  his  power.  He  demanded  no  costly  beads, 
merely  a  parang,  and  in  the  same  manner  as  his  predecessor  he 
walked  backward  and  forward  in  the  circle  of  light.  We  could 
not  understand  a  word  of  what  he  was  saying,  but  every  now  and 
then  he  threw  down  his  parang  so  that  its  point  stuck  in  the  floor, 
where  it  remained  swaying  from  side  to  side.  As  it  swayed  he 
walked  slowly,  about  ten  paces  from  it,  and  then  gave  a  hop  in 
the  air  and  a  shrill  shout.  Then  slowly  he  walked  back  to  the 
parang,  pulled  it  up,  and  continued  his  chanting  and  walking. 

While  this  was  going  on,  the  group  suddenly  realised  that 
the  woman  was  veritably  dead,  beyond  all  hope.  With  a  scream 
the  husband  and  the  brother  snatched  up  the  body  and  rushed 
into  the  family  room  with  it ;  some  of  the  group  followed,  and 
some  crept  silently  away  into  the  dark  corners  of  the  veranda. 

Before  long,  Tama  Bulan  came  to  tell  us  that  the  people  were 
in  a  highly  excited  state,  and,  most  unfortunately,  they  held  us 
responsible  for  the  woman's  tragic  and  sudden  death,  and  that 
we  had  better  remain  in  our  little  room  and  not  venture  out  into 
the  veranda. 

It  was  not  the  most  pleasant  situation  imaginable.  We  were 
well  aware  of  the  excitable  nature  and  the  undisciplined  minds  of 
the  people  among  whom  we  were  ;  we  knew  that  they  passed  in 
an  instant  from  extreme  friendliness  to  a  Berserker  rage ;  and  we 
were  but  two  against  three  hundred ;  our  means  of  defence  con- 
sisted of  only  two  revolvers.  Grave  as  we  knew  the  danger  must 
be,  we  very  fortunately  did  not  know  until  some  time  aftenvard, 
from  Tama  Bulan,  how  extreme  it  was,  and  how  difficult  it  had 
been  for  him  to  save  our  lives. 

After  Tama  Bulan  had  left  us,  we  heard  a  pounding  and  chop- 
ping against  the  partition  wall  of  the  room  to  which  the  body  had 


52  HO  ME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

been  carried  ;  several  boards  were  removed,  and  an  opening  made 
from  it  into  the  veranda ;  through  this  opening  the  corpse  was 
borne ;  it  must  not  pass  through  a  doorway  used  by  the  hving. 
The  poor,  inanimate  body  was  decked  out  in  all  the  gay  garments 
so  recently  worn  at  the  feast,  and,  with  a  cigarette  between  the 
fingers,  it  was  laid  partly  recumbent  on  a  bier  that  had  been 
quickly  constructed,  and  draped  with  white  cloth.  On  the  bier 
beside  the  corpse  an  old  woman  seated  herself  (all  this  we  could 
observe  through  the  crevices  of  our  room)  and  at  once  began  a 
wail  for  the  dead.  This  lugubrious  wailing  was  kept  up,  to  my 
certain  knowledge,  without  intermission  for  two  nights  and  a  day. 
Of  course,  there  were  constant  relief  parties. 

During  these  two  nights  and  a  day  we  remained  close  prison- 
ers in  our  little  room.  Throughout  the  first  long  night  Tama 
Bulan  proved  himself  inflexibly  our  staunch  friend ;  he  insisted 
over  and  over  again  on  our  innocence,  and  pleaded  for  us  with 
the  adherents  of  Lueng's  husband  and  brother,  who  were  clam- 
ouring for  our  heads  as  offerings  to  the  dead  woman  and  as 
decorations  for  their  homes.  This  thirst  for  our  blood  lasted 
during  our  imprisonment,  and  was  throughout  restricted  to  the 
husband  and  brother  of  Lueng  and  to  their  immediate  friends. 
They  were  all  guests,  who  had  come  to  the  Naming. 

When  the  wailing  had  been  adequately  performed  the  corpse 
was  placed  in  a  coffin  hewn  from  a  large  log  and  the  cover  sealed 
down  with  raw  gutta  percha. 

Our  most  friendly  relations  with  Tama  Bulan's  household  had 
not  for  a  moment  been  broken.  Nevertheless,  the  next  day  Tama 
Bulan  came  to  us  and  said  that,  in  view  of  all  the  circumstances, 
he  thought  it  best  that  our  visit  should  come  to  an  end ;  and,  in- 
asmuch as  Laki  La  and  his  followers  were  going  down  the  river, 
we  had  better  take  advantage  of  the  chance  and  accompany  them. 
Of  course,  we  acquiesced.  The  object  for  which  we  had  come 
was  accomplished.  We  had  seen  that  which  no  white  man  had 
ever  before  reported,  namely,  the  noteworthy  ceremonies  of  a 
Naming,  and  we  had  passed  six  delightful  weeks  in  the  far  interior 
of  Borneo,  in  intimate,  friendly  intercourse  with  men,  whom  nous 
autres  are  pleased  to  term  savages.  So  we  fell  to  work,  packed 
up  our  things,  distributed  among  our  especial  friends  all  that  was 
left  of  our  stores  of  cloth  and  tobacco,  made  Tama  Bulan's  eyes 


CEREMONIES  AT  THE  NAMING   OF  A   CHIEF'S  SON     53 

sparkle  with  delight  over  our  present  of  silver  dollars,  bade  good- 
bye to  his  daughter  Bulan,  and  his  two  wives,  not  forgetting  a 
chuck  under  the  chin  to  little  Lijow,  and  hastened  down  to  the 
boat.  Our  final  parting  with  dear  old  Tama  Bulan  was  almost 
watery;  and,  as  we  swept  out  into  the  current,  with  our  pith 
helmets  we  waved  a  prolonged  farewell  to  the  row  of  flapping 
palm-leaf  hats  which  lined  the  long  veranda. 

Old  Laki  La  was  as  affable  as  possible  while  he  sat  in  our 
canoe,  and  we  even  volunteered  to  draw  for  him  the  solitary  tooth 
remaining  in  his  lower  jaw.  He  waggled  it  with  his  tongue 
pensively  for  a  moment,  and  then  remarked  that  as  he  should 
not  live  much  longer  anyhow,  he  thought  that  it  had  better 
die  with  him.  We  considered  him  a  most  pleasant  old  fellow, 
until  we  reached  his  very  large  house  on  the  Pata,  not  far  below 
Tama  Bulan's ;  but  as  soon  as  we  touched  his  landing-place  we 
were  undeceived ;  he  disembarked  without  so  much  as  turning 
round  to  say  good-bye,  and  behind  him  trooped  all  our  pad- 
dlers,  whom  we  had  expected  to  take  us  down  at  least  as  far  as 
Tama  Lohong's  house  on  the  Baram. 

Here  was  a  serious  difficulty,  and  Laki  La  would  pay  abso- 
lutely no  attention  to  any  appeal  to  him  for  men. 

It  was  on  this  occasion  that  the  man  I  mentioned  in  the  first 
paragraph  of  this  chapter  came  forward  most  kindly,  and  offered 
to  get  together  some  men  to  take  us  as  far  as  Tama  Lohong's, 
and  all  the  way  down  to  the  Fort,  if  necessary ;  and  so  it  fell 
out.  It  made  me  blush  to  think  of  the  ingratitude  I  showed  in 
forgetting  his  name,  and  I  am  still  blushing;  for  even  now, 
cudgel  my  brains  as  I  will,  I  cannot  recall  it. 


EARLY  TRAINING   OF  A   HEAD-HUNTER 

One  evening,  an  hour  before  sunset,  at  the  time  when  in  every 
direction,  the  angular  outhnes  of  the  huge  fruit-bats,  with  bodies 
as  large  as  a  cat,  are  silhouetted  against  the  sky,  as  they  make 
an  unswerving  and  rnajestic  flight  toward  their  nocturnal  feeding- 
grounds,  we  halted  our  dug-out  canoes  at  the  muddy  sloping 
bank  in  front  of  the  house  of  Aban  Avit,  an  influential  Chief  on 
the  Tinjar  River, 

We  were  uninvited,  and,  as  far  as  we  knew,  unexpected,  but 
the  host,  upon  whom  we  were  thus  unceremoniously  forcing  our- 
selves, advanced  to  meet  us,  as  we  ascended  the  unsteady,  plank 
walk,  raised  on  piles,  leading  to  his  house,  and,  with  a  warmth 
unusual  among  an  undemonstrative  people,  welcomed  us  with  a 
smile  that  revealed  every  one  of  his  thirty-two  coal-black  teeth. 
We  were,  to  be  sure,  old  friends,  having  stopped  at  his  house  on 
our  way  up-river ;  but,  as  he  had  afterward  heard  that  we  were 
going  to  make  the  ascent  of  Mount  Dulit,  where  all  varieties  of 
evil  Spirits  and  dragons  have  their  haunts,  he  said  he  had  really 
never  expected  to  see  us  again ;  and  had  we  not  returned  just 
when  we  did,  he,  good  soul,  had  planned  to  go  with  a  party  of 
his  bravest  men  in  search  of  us  ;  but  here  we  were  again  safe  and 
sound,,  none  the  worse  for  the  dreadful  journey,  and  not  one  of 
us  marked  with  the  scar  of  '  Gum  Toh,'  a  ghost s-clutch, — a 
cutaneous  tumor,  to  which  these  dark-skinned  people  are  subject, 
well  known  to  us  as  a  Keloid  of  Addison,  but  which  the  Borneans 
aver  is  due  to  the  clutch  of  a  ghost's  hand.  As  soon  as  we  were 
within  the  veranda  of  the  house,  Aban  Avit  insisted  that  his  own 
private  room  should  be  resigned  to  us ;  accordingly,  his  manifold 
possessions  were  moved  to  one  side,  and  clean  rattan  mats  spread 
upon  the  floor ;  his  fireplace,  heaped  with  dry  wood,  was  put  at 
the  disposal  of  our  Chinese  cook,  and  several  long  bamboo 
water-jars  were  brought  from  the  river  so  that  there  should  be 

54 


ABAN   AVIT,   A    BERAWAN    CHIEF   OF   THE   TINJAR    RIVER. 


EARLY  TRAINING  OF  A  HEAD-HUNTER  55 

no  delay  in  the  preparation  of  our  evening  meal.  Ah,  the  hos- 
pitality of  a  head-hunter ! 

When  all  our  numerous  boxes  and  bundles  had  been  brought 
up  from  the  boats,  we  wandered  inquisitively  about  the  long-house, 
asking  endless  questions  of  our  host  and  of  his  brother ;  and,  as 
they  both  spoke  Malay  fluently,  our  conversation  drifted  into  all 
sorts  of  channels.  Aban  Avit  is  a  widower,  as  the  Aban  in  his 
name  declares,  and  Avit  was  the  name  of  his  wife.  The  Kayans, 
and  allied  tribes,  adopt  names  to  suit  the  varying  events  of  their 
lives.  Thus,  a  widower  always  takes  his  dead  wife's  name  pre- 
fixed by  Aban ;  a  father  bears  the  name  of  his  first-born  child 
prefixed  by  Tama,  or  Ma,  meaning  father,  as  long  as  the  child 
lives ;  should  the  child  die,  Tama  is  changed  to  Oyang.  For 
instance,  Tama  Bulan  means  the  father  of  Biilan.  Oyang  Batu 
means  he  who  is  bereft  of  his  son  Batu.  Bulan  is  a  girl's  name, 
meaning  Moon  ;  Batu  is  a  boy's  name,  and  means  Stone,  equiva- 
lent to  our  Peter.  If  Bulan,  the  daughter  of  Tama  Bulan,  should 
have  a  son  named  Madang,  Tama  Bulan,  whose  original  name 
was  Wang,  would  then  adopt  the  grandfather's  title  of  Laki,  and 
be  known  as  Laki  Madang. 

Our  host  [whose  photograph  is  given  on  the  opposite  page] 
was  one  of  the  best  types  of  the  inland  tribes. 

Throughout  his  house,  on  partition  walls  and  on  rafters,  there 
was  scroll-work  in  black  and  white  paint,  the  black  lines  evi- 
dently made  with  a  finger  and  the  dots  of  white  with  4  thumb. 
On  the  wall  of  his  private  room,  just  above  his  sleeping-place, 
were  two  much  conventionalised  and  interlaced  figures  with  arms 
and  legs  like  long  tendrils.  These  figures,  Aban  Avit  explained, 
represented  'Wawa'  monkeys  (the  Gibbon  Ape),  animals  held 
sacred  by  his  family  for  certainly  three  generations,  and  never 
killed  by  any  member  of  the  household ;  he  regarded  them  as 
his  best  of  friends,  and  that  day  was  sure  to  be  lucky  when  they 
crossed  his  path  in  the  jungle,  or  when  their  musical,  almost 
bird-like,  call  was  heard  near  the  house. 

This  hereditary  veneration  of  an  animal  suggests  a  trace 
of  totemism,  otherwise  rare  in  Borneo.  Aban  Av\t,  in  telling 
us  about  his  veneration  for  the  Wawa,  cast  down  his  eyes 
and  spoke  in  a  voice  so  low  we  could  hardly  hear  him,  as 
if   the   very   breathing    of    a   name    so    sacred   were    profana- 


56  HO  ME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

tion.  He  told  us  the  painting  was  the  work  of  his  own 
hands. 

From  this  private  apartment,  which  even  at  high  noon  was 
dark,  but  as  soon  as  the  sun  had  set  was  verily  as  dark  as  the 
proverbial  pocket,  we  made  our  way  to  the  veranda,  where  day- 
light still  lingered ;  here  again  we  noticed  our  host's  love  of  dec- 
oration ;  the  rack  whereon  visitors  as  soon  as  they  enter  the 
veranda,  hang  their  parangs,  instead  of  being  a  customary  row 
of  pegs  or  merely  crotched  sticks,  was  a  board,  whereof  the  lower 
edge,  as  it  hung  horizontally  from  the  rafters,  about  half  way  up 
the  slant  of  the  roof,  had  been  carved  by  the  Chief  himself  into 
graceful  double-headed  hooks  and  loops,  so  that  the  belts 
attached  to  the  parangs  could  be  easily  hung  on  them  and  the 
weapons  would  be  out  of  the  way,  yet  conveniently  at  hand. 
It  is  an  unequivocal  insult  for  a  guest  to  enter  a  friendly  veranda 
with  his  parang  about  his  waist ;  etiquette  demands  that  it  be 
unfastened  before  stepping  into  the  house  ;  it  should  be  then  laid 
aside  or  hung  on  the  rack  while  the  owner  is  engaged  in  friendly 
gossip.  The  house  was  new  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  in  fact,  it 
was  not  yet  wholly  finished ;  at  the  up-river  end,  five  or  six  huge 
piles  had  been  planted  for  its  further  extension;  these  posts, 
about  fifteen  feet  out  of  the  ground  and  eighteen  inches  in  diam- 
eter, were  likewise  carved,  but  with  grotesque  devil-faces,  from 
whose  grinning  mouths  tusks  like  the  wild  boar's  protruded, 
below  tljem  snakes,  and  spiral  curves  representing  the  recurved 
protuberance  on  the  beak  and  head  of  the  Horn-bill, — the  war- 
bird  of  all  the  Kayan  and  Kenyah  tribes.  Here  and  there,  of 
course,  conventionalised  figures  of  the  Wawa  were  to  be  detected. 
It  seems  an  inviolable  rule  with  all  Bornean  decoration  that  the 
representation  of  any  living  thing  must  be  hinted  at  so  grotesquely, 
that  it  takes  a  subtle  imagination  to  discern  what  it  really  rep- 
resents ;  possibly,  this  is  due  to  the  idea,  so  widely  scattered 
throughout  the  far  East,  that  to  make  a  life-like  image  of  any 
animal  involves  a  risk  of  danger  to  the  maker, — a  danger  which 
may  be  vague  or  otherwise  as  chance  may  interpret  it, — and  of 
which  we  see  an  intimation,  possibly,  in  the  second  command- 
ment of  the  Decalogue. 

When  twilight  suddenly  deepened  into  night  and  blazing 
brands  were  brought  to  replenish  the  fire  on  the  hearth  oppo- 


A    KAYAN    YOUTH,   SHOWING   THE    RAISED    SCAR,    CALLED    BY    THE 
NATIVES  'GUM    TOH '   OR   GHOST'S   CLUTCH, 

IT  IS  BELIEVED  BY  THE  KAYANS  THAT  SUCH  A  SCAR  OR  WELT  IS  CAUSED 
BY  THE  FINGERS  OF  AN  EVIL  SPIRIT;  SHOULD  THE  VICTIM  BE  SEIZED  ROUND 
THE  NECK  HE  NEVER  CHOKES  TO  DEATH,  BUT  AWAKES.  THEY  MAINTAIN 
THAT  THESE  SCARS  FORM  IN  A  SINGLE  NIGHT;  BUT  THIS  IS  EXTREMELY 
DOUBTFUL.  RAISED  SCARS  OVER  ALL  OLD  WOUNDS  ARE  EXCEEDINGLY 
COMMON     AMONG   THESE    DARK-SKINNED    RACES. 


EARLY  TRAINING  OF  A   HEAD-HUNTER  57 

site  the  Chief's  door,  we  squatted  round  about  it,  not  for  warmth, 
but  for  the  cheer  of  its  flicker,  and  because, — well,  does  a  pipe 
ever  taste  as  good  as  when  lit  by  an  ember  ? 

Aban  Avit  sat  beside  us,  and  while  we  were  filling  our  pipes 
he  produced  from  the  bamboo  box,  hanging  at  his  side,  some 
tobacco  and  some  of  that  beautifully  delicate  dried  leaf  of  the 
wild  banana  cut  from  the  heart  of  the  plant,  before  the  leaf 
is  unfurled;  in  unskilled  hands  it  tears  like  wet  tissue-paper, 
but  in  Aban  Avit's  a  tapering,  symmetrical  cigarette,  eight 
inches  long,  was  skilfully  rolled  on  his  thigh,  A  circle  of 
small  boys  squatted  around  us,  their  bright,  little  eyes  watching 
our  every  movement  as  intently  as  we  stare  at  the  actions  of 
some  strange  animal  in  a  Zoological  Garden.  If  we  struck  a 
match,  or  sneezed,  or  buttoned  our  coats,  or  wiped  our  faces  with 
a  handkerchief,  dilated  eyes  and  open  mouths  attended  the  action 
with  wrapt  interest.  A  few  men  sat  near  their  Chief,  and  now 
and  then  murmured  comments  to  one  another  in  their  native 
tongue,  which  we  did  not  fully  understand,  but  could  guess  from 
the  direction  of  their  eyes,  that  we  were  the  subject  of  their  conver- 
sation. The  evening  duties  of  the  household  were  not,  however, 
interrupted  on  our  account ;  men  with  bundles  of  dried  fire-wood 
on  their  shoulders,  women  staggering  under  a  load  of  bamboo 
joints  filled  with  water,  and  stacked  in  hampers  on  their  backs, 
were  constantly  passing  by  us,  treading  heavily,  and  making  the 
loose  boards  of  the  floor  clatter  and  rattle  as  they  plodded  their 
weary  way  to  their  apartments.  For  a  time  there  was  almost 
a  constant  succession  of  canoes  coming  to  the  landing-place, 
bringing  back  the  workers  from  the  rice-clearings.  The  w^omen 
all  bending  under  full  hampers,  some  with  fresh,  uncurled  fern- 
fronds,  and  the  sprouts  of  a  variety  of  large  Canna,  which  they 
stew  with  rice  to  add  variety  to  their  diet ;  some  with  bundles 
of  the  young  banana  leaf,  whereof  to  make  cigarette-wrappers, 
and  others  with  wild  tapioca  and  wild  yams.  Each  one  carried 
her  own  Hght  paddle  in  one  hand,  and  a  large  round  and  flat  sun- 
hat  in  the  other.  None  of  them  glanced  to  right  or  left,  but  made 
her  way  direct  to  her  family  room,  and  like  a  ghost  faded  into 
the  darkness  through  the  small  doorway.  After  them  followed 
the  men,  dangling  their  parangs  in  one  hand  and  trailing  their 
blow-pipes  and  spears  in  the  other.     They,  too,  looked  fixedly 


58  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

ahead,  until  they  had  hung  up  their  parang  and  stuck  their  spear 
perpendicularly  into  a  rafter  so  that  the  shaft  should  be  kept 
straight;  this  done,  they  joined  the  group  round  the  fire,  or 
went  down  to  the  river  to  bathe.  At  the  far  end  of  the  house 
some  young  fellows  were  playing  mournful  tunes  on  a  Kaluri, 
and  its  organ-like  notes  were  wafted  fitfully  down  to  us ;  now 
and  then  a  baby's  wail  chimed  in,  and  then  was  quieted  by  the 
mother's  crooning  lullaby.  Beneath  the  house,  the  contented 
grunting  of  pigs  and  the  clucking  of  chickens  denoted  that  these 
omen-givers  had  returned  from  their  foraging  in  the  jungle,  and 
had  sought  the  shelter  of  home  for  the  night. 

Thus  we  sat  as  twilight  faded  in  Aban  Avit's  veranda, — in  the 
home  of  these  people,  whereof  every  detail  made  up  their  familiar, 
common-place  life,  the  only  life  from  cradle  to  grave  that  they 
had  ever  known  or  would  know,  while  we  by  their  side  were 
aliens  from  a  world  twelve  thousand  miles  away,  from  a  country 
that  they  had  never  heard  of,  and  of  a  race  which  many  of  them 
had  never  seen  before.  We  were  in  the  very  heart  of  the  Bornean 
jungle,  guests,  in  the  house  of  a  barbarous  '  savage '  and  blood- 
thirsty '  head-hunter,' — but,  these  terms,  when  applied  at  that 
moment  to  our  host,  what  misnomers  !  Could  contrast  be  more 
emphatic  than  the  perfect  peacefulness  of  our  surroundings, 
and  the  thought  that  a  man  as  benignant  and  hospitable  as 
Aban  Avit  should  cherish  as  his  highest  aim  in  life  to  add  every 
year  to  that  cluster  of  human  heads  hanging  from  the  rafters 
just  above  us,  and  gently  swaying  in  the  heat  ascending  from 
the  flames  ?  Is  it  conceivable  that  this  gentle-hearted  man,  and 
his  circle  of  good-humored  friends,  could  take  pride  and  pleasure 
in  recognising  and  rehearsing  the  slashes  and  gashes  borne  by 
each  head  ?  The  long  gash  there,  on  the  left  side  of  that  skull, 
showing  through  the  piece  of  old  casting-net,  was  made  by 
Tama  Lohong's  parang,  the  very  one  with  carved  wooden  handle 
that  he  carries  to  this  day.  The  owner  of  the  next  skull  was 
fishing  when  he  fell  a  victim  to  a  stealthy  thrust  from  Apoi's 
spear.  This  small  one  is  that  of  a  young  girl  who  tried  to  escape 
from  the  rear  of  a  house  when  they  burned  out  those  Madangs, 
way  over  near  the  Rejang  River.  Thus  they  can  enumerate 
them  all,  chief  and  slave,  man,  woman,  girl,  and  boy.  It  all 
seemed  so  at  variance  with  Aban  Avit's  genial,  courteous  hos- 


VERANDA   OF   ABAN    AVIT'S   HOUSE. 

THE  COLLECTION  OF  TROPHY-HEADS  IS  HUNG,  AS  USUAL,  ABOVE  THE 
HEARTH  IN  FRONT  OF  THE  CHIEF'S  ROOM.  ON  THE  LEFT,  NEAR  THE  EDGE 
OF  THE  PHOTOGRAPH,  IS  THE  WOMAN  WHO  HAD  BEEN  ABDUCTED  FROM  HER 
HOME  ON  THE  BARAM  RIVER,  AND  WAS  AT  THIS  TIME  BEING  RETURNED  TO 
HER  FAMILY  BY  LAKi  JOK  ORANG,  A  CHIEF  OF  THE  REJANG  RIVER  (see  p.  105). 
THE  MAN  RESTING  HIS  FEET  AGAINST  THE  SIDE  OF  THE  HEARTH  IS  THE 
BROTHER  OF  ABAN  AVIT.  IN  THE  UPPER  LEFT-HAND  CORNER  IS  THE  RACK 
WHEREON    THE    PARANGS    OF    VISITORS    MUST    BE    HUNG. 


EARLY  TRAINING  OF  A  HEAD-HUNTER  59 

pitality,  that  I  wondered  if  it  were  possible  to  look  at  these 
skulls  through  his  eyes,  and  to  sympathise  with  his  thrill 
of  pride  and  exultation  in  them.  I  waited  until  Aban  Avit 
had  his  cigarette  fairly  rolled  and  lit,  and  then,  trying  not  to 
appear  in  the  least  antagonistic,  lest  I  should  fail  to  elicit  his 
genuine  feelings,  I  asked,  '  O  Sabilah,  [Blood-brother]  why  is  it 
that  all  you  people  of  Kalamantan  kill  each  other  and  hang  up 
these  heads  ?  In  the  land  I  come  from  such  a  thing  is  never 
known;  I  fear  that  it  would  be  ill-spoken  of  there,  indeed 
perhaps,  thought  quite  horrible.  What  does  Aban  Avit  think 
of  it  ? '  He  turned  to  me  in  utter,  absolute  surprise,  at  first  with 
eyes  half-closed,  as  doubting  that  he  heard  aright,  and  letting  the 
smoke  curl  slowly  out  of  his  mouth  for  a  moment,  he  then  replied, 
with  unwonted  vehemence : — '  No,  Tuan  !  No  !  the  custom  is 
not  horrible.  It  is  an  ancient  custom,  a  good,  beneficent  custom, 
bequeathed  to  us  by  our  fathers  and  our  fathers'  fathers  ;  it  brings 
us  blessings,  plentiful  harvests,  and  keeps  off  sickness,  and  pains. 
Those  who  were  once  our  enemies,  hereby  become  our  guardians, 
our  friends,  our  benefactors.'  '  But,'  I  interrupted,  '  how  does 
Aban  Avit  know  that  these  dried  heads  do  all  this  ?  Don't 
you  make  it  an  excuse  just  because  you  like  to  shed  blood  and 
to  kill  ?'  '  Ah,  Tuan,  you  white  men  had  no  great  Chief,  like 
Tokong,  to  show  you  what  was  right ;  haven't  you  ever  heard  the 
story  of  Tokong  and  his  people  ?  He  was  Rajah  of  the  Sibops 
and  the  father  of  all  the  Kayans,  and  lived  long,  long,  long  ago.' 
I  was  not  acquainted  with  the  story  of  Tokong,  so  I  begged  him 
to  relate  it ;  then,  squatting  on  the  floor  with  his  forearms  lightly 
resting  on  his  knees,  and  his  hands  dangling  in  front  of  him,  he 
meditatively  relit  his  cigarette,  and,  gazing  lovingly  up  at  the 
cluster  of  skulls,  began  : — 

'  It  was  in  the  old,  old  days,  long  before  the  Government  came 
here,  (by  the  Government,  I  mean  our  Tuan  Rajah  Brooke,)  it 
happened  that  on  a  time  the  descendant  of  the  heaven-born 
Katirah  Murai,  Tokong,  and  his  men  of  the  Sibop  tribe  were  on 
an  expedition  down-river  to  punish  a  household  of  thieves  who 
had  stolen  their  crop  of  rice  the  year  before,  and  had  chased 
Tokong's  women  and  children  from  the  jungle-clearings.  It 
was  the  time  of  year  when  the  fields  had  just  been  planted,  and 
before  the  rice  had  sprouted ;  so  Tokong  took  out  his  warriors 


6o  HO  ME' LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

to  teach  these  thieves  that  this  year  there  should  be  no  more 
stealing.  When  they  had  gone  down-river  to  the  great  bamboo 
clump  where  they  had  to  cross  through  the  jungle,  they  drew  their 
canoes  up  to  the  bank,  and,  with  Tokong  leading,  started  on  their 
stealthy  march.  When  the  eye  of  day  looked  straight  down  at 
them  over  their  heads,  they  rested  on  the  bank  of  a  small  stream 
which  ran  round  that  great  rock,  (perhaps,  Tuan,  you  have  seen 
it,) — we  call  it  "  Batu  Kusieng," — near  the  head-waters  of  the 
Belaga  and  Tinjar  Rivers.  They  had  cooked,  and  eaten,  and 
had  drawn  out  the  pegs  of  wood  whereon  their  rice-pots  rested, 
and  Rajah  Tokong  was  slipping  his  head  through  his  war-coat 
and  girding  on  his  parang,  when  he  heard,  coming  from  under 
the  great  rock,  a  squeaking,  croaking  voice,  uttering,  "  Wong 
kokok  teta  Batok."  *  He  paused,  and,  turning  round  to  listen  to 
the  voice,  saw  a  large  frog  with  its  young  ones  about  it  sitting 
just  under  the  edge  of  the  rock.  "  Greetings  to  you,  Kop,"  [Frog] 
said  the  Rajah.  "  What  is  the  meaning  of  your  croaking  ?"  and  Kop 
replied,  "  Alas,  what  fools  you  Sibops  are  !  You  go  out  to  battle 
and  kill  men,  but  you  take  back  with  you  to  ornament  your 
shields  only  their  hair ;  whereas,  did  you  but  know  it,  if  you  took 
the  whole  head  you  would  have  blessings  beyond  words.  In- 
sooth,  you  heavy-livered  people  know  not  how  to  take  a  head. 
Look  here,  and  I'll  show  you."  Thus  spoke  Kop,  and  straight- 
way seized  one  of  his  little  ones,  and  with  one  stroke  of  his 
parang  cut  off  its  head.  Tokong  was  exceedingly  angry  at  the 
impudence  and  the  cruelty  of  the  frog,  and,  paying  no  further 
attention  to  it,  ordered  his  men  to  advance  at  once.  But  some  of 
the  older  men  among  them  could  not  help  thinking  that  perhaps 
Kop  spoke  the  truth,  and  that  night,  while  they  sat  round  the 
fire,  holding  a  council  of  war  over  the  attack  on  the  enemy's 
house,  close  at  hand,  they  urged  Tokong  to  allow  them  to  follow 
the  frog's  advice.  At  first,  Tokong,  still  very  angry  because 
Kop  had  called  the  Sibops  "  fools  "  and  "  heavy-livered,"  refused ; 
but  finally,  seeing  that  many  of  his  best  men  were  in  favor  of  it, 
he  granted  their  request.  Next  morning,  when  the  sky  began 
to  turn  gray  and  the  birds  in  the  trees  were  just  waking  up, 
the    Sibops    noiselessly    carried    armfuls    of   bark    and    grass, 

*  Aban  Avit  did  not  translate  this,  and  I  believe  it  is  ancient  Kayan,  retained 
for  its  onomatopoetic  sound. 


SKULL   OF   A    CHIEF    OF   THE    KELABIT    TRIBE. 

IT  IS  DRAPED  WITH  STRIPS  OF  PALM  LEAVES,  POSSIBLY  TO  REPRESENT 
HAIR,  AND  ORNAMENTED  WITH  WOODEN  EARS,  EAR-PENDANTS,  AND  A  LONG 
WOODEN  NOSE.  SUCH  ORNAMENTATION  OF  SKULLS  IS  NOT  USUAL,  AT 
LEAST    IN     THE    BARAM     DISTRICT. 


EARLY  TRAINING   OF  A  HEAD-HUNTER  6 1 

and  placed  them  beneath  the  thieves'  house,  and  set  fire  to  them, 
and  the  flames  ran  quickly  everywhere.  Out  rushed  the  men 
and  women,  some  jumping  into  the  flames,  others  trying  to  slide 
down  the  house-posts ;  but  all  were  met  with  slashes  and  stabs 
from  the  swords  and  spears  of  Tokong's  men.  Many  were  killed 
that  day,  and  the  heads  of  three  were  cut  off  and  carried  away 
by  Tokong's  party,  who  retreated  at  once,  and,  almost  before  they 
knew  it,  were  at  the  landing-place  on  the  river.  To  their  great 
amazement,  they  found  their  boats  all  ready  and  launched !  No 
sooner  were  they  seated  than  the  boats  began  to  move  off,  of  their 
own  accord,  right  up-stream  in  the  direction  of  home.  It  was  a 
miracle !  The  current  of  the  stream  changed  and  ran  up  hill,  as 
it  does  at  flood-tide  at  the  mouth  of  a  river.  They  almost  imme- 
diately reached  the  landing-place  close  to  their  house,  and  were 
overjoyed  to  see  that  the  crops  planted  only  fifteen  days  before 
had  not  only  sprouted,  but  had  grown,  had  ripened,  and  were 
almost  ready  for  the  harvest.  In  great  astonishment  they  hurried 
through  the  clearings,  and  up  to  their  house.  There,  they  found 
still  greater  wonders !  those  who  were  ill  when  the  party  set  out 
were  now  well,  the  lame  walked  and  the  blind  saw !  Rajah 
Tokong  and  all  his  people  were  convinced  on  the  spot  that  it  was 
because  they  had  followed  Kop's  advice,  and  they  vowed  a  vow 
that  ever  afterward  the  heads  of  their  enemies  should  be  cut  off 
and  hung  up  in  their  houses.  This  is  the  story  of  Rajah  Tokong, 
Tuan.  We  all  follow  his  good  example.  These  heads  above  us 
have  brought  me  all  the  blessings  I  have  ever  had ;  I  would  not 
have  them  taken  from  my  home  for  all  the  silver  in  the  country.' 
He  turned  to  appeal  to  his  people  sitting  near,  and  they,  as 
many  as  understood  Malay,  nodded  their  heads,  glancing  from 
him  to  us,  and  murmuring  '  Betul,  betul ! '  ['Tis  true,  'tis  true] 
He  paused  to  get  an  ember  out  of  the  glowing  heap  of  ashes  to 
light  his  cigarette  again,  which  had  become  much  crumpled 
during  the  narration  of  Rajah  Tokong's  first  head-hunt,  and  after 
he  had  it  once  more  in  shape,  I  asked  him  if  he  would  not  regard 
it  as  somewhat  of  an  inconvenience  if  his  own  head  were  to  be 
cut  off,  just  to  bring  blessings  to  an  enemy's  house.  *  Tuan,' 
he  replied,  *  I  do  not  w^ant  to  become  dead  any  more  than  I  want 
to  move  from  where  I  am ;  if  my  head  were  cut  off,  my  second 
self  would  go  to   Bulun  Matai,  [the  Fields  of  the  Dead,]  where 


62  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

beyond  a  doubt  I  should  be  happy ;  the  Dayongs  tell  us,  and 
surely  they  know,  that  those  who  have  been  brave  and  have 
taken  heads,  as  I  have,  will  be  respected  in  that  other  world 
and  will  have  plenty  of  riches.  When  I  die  my  friends  will  beat 
the  gongs  loud  and  shout  out  my  name,  so  that  those  who 
are  already  in  Bulun  Matai,  will  know  that  I  am  coming,  and 
meet  me  when  I  cross  over  the  stream  on  Bintang  Sikopa  [the 
great  log.]  I  shall  be  glad  enough  to  see  them.  But  I  don't  want 
to  go  to-day,  nor  to-morrow.'  His  faith  seemed  immovable,  but  I 
could  not  resist  the  temptation  of  suggesting  a  doubt,  so  I  asked 
him  what  if  the  Dayongs  were  wrong,  and  there  were  no  Bulun 
Matai,  and  that  when  he  stopped  breathing  he  really  died  and 
knew  no  more.  He  answered  me  almost  with  scorn  for  such  a 
doubt.  '  Tuan,  nothing  really  dies,  it  changes  from  one  thing 
to  another.  The  Dayongs  must  be  right,  for  they  have  been  to 
the  Fields  of  the  Dead  and  come  back  to  tell  us  all  about  it' 
'  Don't  you  feel  sorry,'  I  asked,  '  for  those  that  you  kill  ?  It 
hurts  badly  to  be  cut  by  a  parang ;  you  don't  hke  it,  and  those 
whom  you  cut  down  dislike  it  as  much  as  you  do ;  they  are 
no  more  anxious  to  go  to  Apo  Leggan  or  Long  Julan  [Regions 
in  Bulun  Matai]  than  you  are.'  '  Ah,  Tuan,'  he  replied,  with 
the  suggestion  of  a  patronizing  chuckle  in  his  voice,  'you  feel 
just  as  I  did,  when  I  was  a  little  boy  and  had  never  seen 
blood.  But  I  outgrew  such  feelings,  as  every  one  should.  My 
father,  a  very  great  warrior,  and  known  and  feared  by  the  people 
of  many,  many  rivers,  wanted  his  sons  to  be  as  brave  and  fear- 
less as  he  was  himself.  So  one  day  he  dragged  out  into  the 
jungle  old  Ballo  Lahing,  [widow  of  Lahing,]  and  tied  her  fast 
to  a  tree  by  rattans  on  her  wrists  and  ankles.  She  was  a  slave- 
woman,  captured  when  she  was  a  young  girl,  by  his  grandfather 
over  in  the  Batang  Kayan  country,  and,  at  the  time  I  speak  of, 
she  was  very  old,  and  weak,  and  very  thin,  and  couldn't  do  any 
work  because  she  was  nearly  blind.  My  father  told  my  brother 
yonder  and  me,  and  one  or  two  other  boys,  all  of  us,  little  fel- 
lows then,  (I  remember,  my  ears  were  still  sore  from  having  these 
holes  for  tiger-cat's  teeth  cut  in  them,)  well, — he  told  us  we  must 
go  out  with  spears  and  learn  to  stick  them  in  something  alive, 
and  not  to  be  afraid  to  see  blood,  nor  to  hear  screams, — then 
I  felt  just  as  you  do.     Besides,  I  was  really  very  fond  of  old 


ONE   OF   THE    BELLES   OF   ABAN   AVIT'S    HOUSE. 

ACCORDING  TO  THE  FEMININE  FASHIONS  OF  THE  BERAWANS,  THE  EAR- 
LOBES  ARE  NOT  ELONGATED  WITH  WEIGHTS,  BUT  ARE  STRETCHED  AROUND 
DISCS  OF  WOOD  OR  LARGE  MUSHROOM-SHAPED  PLUGS  OF  SILVER-WORK,  IM- 
PORTED BY  MALAY  TRADERS  FROM  BRUNEI,  THE  METROPOLIS  OF  NORTHERN 
BORNEO.  FAINT  LINES  OF  TATTOOING  MAY  BE  SEEN  ON  THE  ARMS  BELOW 
THE  ELBOW  AND  ON  THE  INSTEP  OF  THE  RIGHT  FOOT.  THE  YOUNG  WOMAN 
WAS  EXCEEDINGLY  WORRIED  BY  THE  APPEARANCE  OF  MY  CAMERA,  AND 
ASSUMED,  SO  SHE  DECLARED,  THAT  WITH  IT  I  COULD  SEE  HER  THROUGH 
AND    THROUGH    AND    KNOW    HER    VERY    THOUGHTS. 


EARLY  TRAINING  OF  A  HEAD-HUNTER  63 

Ballo  Lahing ;  she  it  was  who  tied  on  my  first  chawat  [waist- 
cloth]  for  me,  I  remembered  it  well,  for  she  laughed  a  great  deal 
at  me,  and  then  I  saw  how  few  teeth  she  had,  and  she  often  used 
to  sing  me  to  sleep  with  that  song  about  "  Tama  Poyong  with  a 
twisted  leg."  I  couldn't  bear  the  thought  of  hurting  her,  and 
sending  her  away  off  to  Long  Julan,  so  I  flatly  refused  to  take 
a  spear  with  me.  But  my  father  said  I  must ;  there  was  no  harm 
in  it ;  that  it  was  right,  and  I  must  take  one ;  he  pulled  me  by 
the  arm,  and  I  had  to  follow.  Then  I  was  afraid  she  might  see 
me,  so  I  sneaked  round  behind  the  tree  and  just  pricked  her  with 
the  point  of  the  iron,  then  she  guessed  what  my  father  had  tied  her 
there  for,  and  screamed  as  loud  as  she  could,  "  Oh,  don't !  Oh, 
don't !  Oh,  don't !  "  over  and  over  again,  and  very  fast ;  I  pricked 
her  a  little  harder  the  next  time  to  hear  what  she  would  say,  but  she 
only  kept  on  shrieking  the  same  words.  Then  one  of  the  other 
boys,  smaller  even  than  I,  ran  his  spear  right  through  her  thigh, 
like  this,  and  the  old  people  laughed  and  said  that  was  good ;  and 
the  blood  ran  down  all  over  the  wrinkles  on  her  knees ;  and  then 
I  wanted  to  make  it  run  just  in  the  same  way,  so  I  pushed  and 
pushed  my  spear  hard  into  her ;  and  after  that,  I  never  thought 
whether  it  was  Ballo  Lahing  or  not,  I  just  watched  the  blood; 
and  we  all  ran  round  her  piercing  her  here  and  piercing  there 
until  she  sank  right  down  on  the  ground  with  her  hands  in  the 
rattan  loops  above  her  head,  which  tumbled  over  to  one  side, 
and  no  more  blood  came  out  of  her.  Then  my  father  praised  us 
all  loudly,  and  me  in  particular,  and  said  we  had  been  good 
boys  and  had  done  well !  How  could  I  feel  at  all  sorry  then  for 
the  old  thing  ?  I  thought  only  that  I  had  obeyed  my  father  and 
that  I  was  a  great  warrior  and  could  wear  horn-bill's  feathers, 
and  tiger-cat's  teeth.  That's  the  way  to  become  a  Man  ;  a  baby 
is  afraid  of  blood,  Tuan.  My  father  was  right.  No  man  can  be 
brave  who  doesn't  love  to  see  his  spear  draw  blood.' 

I  responded  with  many  nods,  drew  furiously  at  my  pipe,  and 
fell  silent,     Aban  Avit  believed  that  he  had  made  a  convert. 

Aban  Avit's  faith  in  a  future  life  was  invincible,  and  thoroughly 
characteristic  of  the  Oriental  mind,  which  accepts  that  faith 
with  an  assurance  which  should  put  to  the  blush  an  Occidental 
Agnostic.  To  be  sure,  to  attain  the  Oriental  Paradise  does  not 
depend  upon  the  adherence  in  this  life  to  that  morality  which 


r^ 


64  HO  ME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

distinguishes  good  and  bad  actions.  It  is  noteworthy,  that  in 
several  of  these  Oriental  languages  there  is  no  word  to  express 
'  sin.'  A  cruel  and  vindictive  man  is  to  be  shunned  merely 
because  his  actions  are  disagreeable  or  inconvenient  to  those 
about  him.  But  when  he  dies,  and  can  then  cause  no  more 
trouble,  his  memory  is  as  cherished  as  a  Saint's,  and  those  who 
knew  him  will  give  him  the  customary  amount  of  profuse  wail- 
ing, and  believe  that  his  spirit  passes  as  surely  to  the  same 
'  heaven '  as  the  kindest  and  gentlest  of  them  all. 

How  greatly  the  faith  of  tlie  Borneans  in  eternal  life  is  indebted 
to  their  surroundings  can  be  realized  perhaps  only  by  one  who 
has  lived  in  that  boundless  jungle,  where,  on  every  hand.  Nature 
is  in  her  wildest,  most  exuberant,  most  lavish  mood;  where 
life  dies  and  is  renewed  in  an  hour.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  the 
Jungle  people,  with  this  eternal  loss  and  eternal  gain  ever  pres- 
ent, think  no  more  of  cutting  down  a  human  fellow-creature  than 
of  chopping  down  a  tree  or  of  plucking  a  gaudy  flower  ?  The 
jungle  is  an  ever-present  ocular  proof  that  life  follows  life.  Here 
beneath  our  cold  skies  we  are  every  year  reminded  of  decay  and 
death  in  the  withering  grass,  the  falling  leaves,  and  the  bare 
branches  of  winter ;  the  long  waiting  for  Spring  bids  us  look 
forward  to  a  future  away  from  this  scene  of  death.  In  the  jungle 
there  is  no  death,  the  leaves  fall  while  they  are  still  green,  and  in 
a  night,  lo  !  new  ones  take  their  place ;  an  ancient  tree  falls,  but 
the  mighty  trunk  does  not  lie  arid  and  stiff  to  be  slowly  covered 
with  pale  leathery  lichens  ;  hardly  has  it  touched  the  ground 
before  it  is  covered  with  a  translucent  shroud  of  tender  green, 
which  seems  but  a  renewal  and  continuation  of  its  own  hfe ;  and 
before  the  burning  sun  shining  through  the  gap  can  scorch  the 
delicate  orchids,  the  gap  is  closed  by  a  new  eager  growth  and  a 
young  tree  springs  from  the  earth  upturned  by  the  broken  roots. 
Can  any  dweller  amid  such  scenes  believe  otherwise  than  that 
/       death  is  but  an  exchange  of  life  ? 

Of  what  can  be  called  a  religion  the  Borneans  have  little ;  they 
are,  to  a  certain  extent,  idolaters,  and  their  projects  are  banned  or 
blest  by  omens  drawn  from  certain  birds  and  animals,  but  mainly 
by  auguries  interpreted  from  the  livers  of  sacrificed  swine  and  from 
fowls ;  wherein  they  are  no  more  barbarous  than  the  ancient 
Romans.     But  the  one  custom,  to  which  they  all  cling  with  a 


THE    DRUDGE    OF   A    KAYAN    HOUSEHOLD. 

ONE  OF  THE  OLD,  WORN-OUT  DRUDGES  OF  A  KAYAN  HOUSEHOLD,  WHOSE 
DAYS  OF  ACTIVE  LABOR  IN  THE  FIELDS  BEING  OVER,  HER  DUTIES  CONSIST  IN 
CARRYING  UP  THE  WATER  FOR  COOKING  FROM  THE  RIVER.  IT  WAS  SUCH 
AN  OLD  WOMAN  AS  THIS  WHO  WAS  SACRIFICED  IN  THE  EDUCATION  OF  ABAN 
AVIT    AND    HIS    BROTHER. 


EARL  Y  TRAINING   OF  A  HEAD-HUNTER  65 

tenacity  born  of  what  is  to  them  its  proved  efficacy,  is  the  taking 
of  human  heads.  Can  they  not  recount  indisputable  proof  after 
proof,  drawn  from  their  own  veritable  experience,  that  these 
precious  influences  over  the  domestic  hearth  bring  the  very 
purest  of  blessings,  and  health,  and  wealth  to  the  whole  house- 
hold ? 

Be  it  borne  in  mind  that  an  enemy's  head  is  not  like  the  scalp 
of  our  American  Indians,  a  mere  trophy ;  it  is  an  object  of  heart- 
felt veneration,  an  earnest  of  blessing  to  the  whole  community. 
Such  is  the  round  of  life  among  them  that  a  pretext  for  a  head- 
hunt is  readily  found ;  the  solemn  ceremony  of  putting  off  the 
mourning  for  a  dead  Chief  suggests  it ;  or  when  a  harvest  is 
completed ;  or  when  a  Chief  takes  a  new  wife,  etc.  In  all  these 
ceremonies  the  acquisition  of  new  heads  is  of  prime  importance, 
and  those,  too,  who  did  not  participate  in  the  hunt,  and  even 
very  young  boys,  may  share  in  the  glory  of  this  acquisition,  if 
they  will  merely  put  on  war-clothes,  and  before  the  heads  are 
taken  up  into  the  house  strike  a  blow  at  them  with  a  parang. 
[The  ceremonies  attending  head-hunts  I  give  elsewhere.]  Water 
sprinkled  from  the  palm  leaves,  wherein  the  heads  have  been 
wrapped,  purifies  women  after  periods  of  mourning,  and  they 
may  once  more  wear  their  ornaments,  and  bathe  in  the  river,  and 
the  men  may  thereafter  shave  their  temples.  When  finally  hung 
up  in  the  house,  the  heads  have  lost  all  semblance  to  life,  and 
are  mere  blackened  skulls,  not  exactly  ornamental,  it  must  be 
admitted,  but  by  no  means  as  repulsive  as  might  be  at  first 
supposed. 

Among  the  Kayans  it  is  most  strictly  forbidden  for  any 
one,  except  the  very  aged,  to  touch  these  heads.  Sickness, 
possibly  death,  follow^s  a  disregard  of  this  rule ;  but  the  aged, 
who  are  at  any  rate  on  the  brink  of  the  grave,  may  fear- 
lessly handle  them.  At  a  harvest  festival,  it  is  an  Iban 
custom  to  take  the  old  skulls  down,  and  women  then  carry 
them,  together  with  the  new  ones,  in  their  dances  ;  rice  is  thrust 
between  the  jaws,  and  arrack  poured  over  them,  that  they  also, 
to  the  extent  of  their  limited  capacity,  may  share  in  the  feast. 

[This  account  of  Aban  Avit's  conversation  is  more  or  less 
composite ;  the  words  which  I  have  put  into  his  mouth  are  not 
solely  his,  but  there  is   none   of  them  that   I  have  not  heard 


66  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

emphatically  expressed  by  other  natives ;  I  have  merely  made 
one  man  the  mouth-piece  of  several.  The  story  of  the  sacrifice 
of  the  old  woman  for  the  moral  and  physical  training  of  the 
boys,  I  have  endeavored  to  give  as  I  heard  it] 

In  the  accompanying  view  of  the  veranda  of  Aban  Avit's 
house,  the  skulls  may  be  seen  hanging  in  a  cluster  over  the  fire- 
place around  which  the  people  are  grouped.  For  this  photo- 
graph a  trap- door  in  the  roof  had  to  be  raised  to  admit  light. 
Draped  over  the  skulls,  here  and  there,  are  pieces  of  bark  cloth 
and  shreds  of  palm  leaves ;  the  framework  whereon  the  heads 
are  hung  is  made  of  hoops  of  rattan,  one  inside  the  other,  so 
that  these  invaluable  relics  may  be  arranged  in  a  thick  symmetri- 
cal cluster.  Among  some  tribes  it  is  customary  to  place  the 
skull  of  a  rhinoceros  in  the  centre  of  the  group  of  human  skulls. 
This  animal  is  so  ferocious  and  so  hard  to  kill  that  it  is  deemed 
worthy  of  the  honor.  Along  the  roof,  half  across  the  open  trap- 
door, is  the  board  mentioned  above,  carved  at  its  lower  edge  into 
hooks,  on  which  visitors  hang  their  parangs  while  they  sit  to 
talk  or  feast  with  the  Chief.  The  man  with  his  feet  resting  upon 
the  edge  of  the  fireplace  is  the  brother  of  Aban  Avit,  and  will 
probably  succeed  to  the  Chiefship ;  his  word  even  now  seems  to 
carry  great  weight  in  all  councils.  At  the  time  of  taking  the 
photograph  the  house  was  filled  with  guests, — a  party  of  peace 
from  the  Baram  River,  on  their  way  to  the  head-waters  of  the 
Tinjar  to  give  and  take  pledges  of  friendly  relationship,  and  to 
pay  off  and  collect  indemnities  for  the  raids  and  slaughterings  of 
their  fathers  and  grandfathers. 


VERANDA   OF   ABAN    DENG'S   HOUSE   ON    THE  APOH. 

THE  TROPHY-SKULLS  ARE  HUNG  FROM  A  DECORATED  BEAM,  EXTENDING 
ALMOST  THE  WHOLE  LENGTH  OF  THE  VERANDA.  IN  FRONT  OF  THE  CHIEF'S 
DOOR  SEVERAL  SKULLS  ARE  TIED  TOGETHER  ON  A  FRAMEWORK  OF  RATTAN; 
THESE    ARE    POSSIBLY    HIS    PRIVATE    COLLECTION. 


A    WAR  EXPEDITION 

About  a  year  and  a  half  before  my  first  visit  to  Borneo, 
a  Chinese  trader,  in  the  upper  Tinjar  River,  had  been  killed 
solely  for  the  sake  of  his  head.  Killing  is  by  no  means  uncom- 
mon in  Borneo ;  but  this  was  a  murder  so  cold-blooded,  and  the 
victim,  moreover,  a  Chinaman,  so  unprepared  for  the  game  of 
head-hunting,  that  an  unusual  effort  was  made  to  find  and 
punish  the  murderer.  Although  the  head,  just  after  it  was  cut 
off,  had  been  hung  up  in  the  veranda  of  a  house,  and  although 
the  river-bank  in  front  had  been  enlivened  with  a  '  Death-post,' 
whereto  portions  of  the  victim  had  been  attached,  by  way  of  public 
notice  that  a  head  had  just  been  taken,  the  perpetrator  of  the 
deed  showed,  however,  a  guilty  reluctance  in  claiming  any  glory, 
or  even  in  making  himself  known  ;  furthermore,  not  a  member  of 
that  household,  nor  of  any  household  on  the  Tinjar  River,  would 
give  the  slightest  clue  to  the  identity  of  the  murderer.  All  the 
Chiefs,  hitherto  trusted,  told  endless  hes  about  the  crime,  and 
with  such  success  that  they  believed  that  they  had  at  last  baffled 
and  befooled  the  '  Prenta,'  the  Government. 

One  day,  about  two  years  after  the  murder,  a  Malay  trader, 
who  had  been  up  among  the  Tinjar  people  for  many  months,  and 
was  perhaps  feeling  a  little  sore  over  his  poor  bargains,  let  fall 
to  Dr.  Hose,  the  English  Resident  of  the  Baram  district,  some 
hints  that  again  set  in  motion  the  wheels  of  justice  and  soon 
fastened  the  guilt  of  that  murder  on  Tinggi,  a  dweller  in  the 
house  of  Tama  Talip.  The  culprit  was  at  once  summoned  to 
appear  for  trial  at  the  Baram  Fort,  but  his  people  hid  him  and 
resolutely  defied  the  Government ;  consequently,  a  reward  was 
offered  for  his  capture  alive,  or  for  his  head,  if  dead.  Neverthe- 
less, the  Tinjar  people  continued  to  conceal  and  protect  Tinggi, 
even  after  an  influential  Chief  had  been  deposed  by  the  Government 
for  his  duphcit>^  in  the  matter,  and,  possibly,  for  the  transparent 

67 


68  HO  ME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

quality  of  the  lies  he  manufactured.  There  remained,  therefore, 
nothing  to  be  done  but  to  appoint  an  entire  stranger,  a  native 
from  another  river,  to  lead  an  expedition  against  the  Lerons,  the 
tribe  that  was  protecting  Tinggi.  The  man  thus  appointed  was 
Tama  Bulan,  a  Kenyah,  and  the  most  influential  Chief  in  the 
Baram  district,  who  accepted  the  appointment  and  gathered  a 
force  to  ascend  the  Tinjar.  Among  his  followers  was  Juman,  a 
Kayan  Chief  and  the  lucky  and  sole  possessor  of  a  gun.  Tama 
Bulan  had  been  strictly  commanded  to  take  Tinggi,  and  no  one 
else  but  Tinggi ;  on  no  account  was  he  to  suffer  his  Kayan  or 
Kenyah  followers  to  kill  innocent  people.  Juman,  with  a  small 
party  ascended  the  Tinjar,  to  a  point  opposite  the  house  of  the 
Lerons.  Tinggi,  the  murderer,  emerged  unattended  from  the 
house,  entered  a  light  canoe,  and  was  crossing  the  river, 
apparently  to  surrender  himself,  when,  at  the  last  moment,  he 
seemed  to  change  his  mind,  and  resolved  to  attempt  an  escape. 
In  an  instant,  taking  advantage  of  the  swift  current,  he  was  dash- 
ing past  Juman's  camp.  The  details  of  his  death  I  had,  as  fol- 
lows, from  Juman  himself:  'Tinggi  came  down  the  river,  Tuan, 
lying  flat  in  his  canoe  until  he  was  just  opposite  to  me  and  my 
men ;  then  he  stood  up,  straight,  brandishing  his  spear  and  his 
parang,  and  shouting  defiance  to  us  all.  But,'  continued  Juman, 
his  eyes  glowing  with  excitement,  '  I  was  all  ready,  Tuan ;  I 
raised  this  "  snappang  "  *  of  mine,  that  the  Government  gave 
me ;  it  was  loaded  full  of  nails  ;  and  I  shot  that  insect,  Tinggi, 
right  here, — through  the  breast.  Over  he  fell  backward  in  his 
boat ;  he  kept  on  waving  his  arms ;  I  paddled  fast  after  him  in  a 
canoe  ;  I  got  along  side  of  him ;  I  caught  hold  of  his  head ; 
I  pulled  it  over  to  the  edge  of  the  boat ;  with  two  chops  of 
my  parang,  like  that  and  like  that,  off  it  came.' 

This  head  was  the  first  Juman  had  ever  taken,  and  measure- 
less was  his  pride  in  displaying  the  tattooing,  to  which  he 
was  thereby  entitled,  on  the  back  of  one  of  his  hands  ;  the  other 
hand  was  to  be  similarly  decorated  as  soon  as  the  harvest- 
ing was  over.  Tinggi's  head  he  was  allowed  to  hang  from 
the   roof  of  his    veranda,  opposite   his    door,  in  his    house   at 

*  '  Snappang,'  the  Malay  name  for  a  gun,  imitates  the  sound  of  the  discharge. 
In  the  years  following  our  Civil  War  the  name,  '  Ku  Klux  Klan,'  was  formed,  it  is 
said,  from  the  sound  of  the  cocking  of  a  firearm. 


BORNEAN    WAR   COSTUME. 

THE  FEATHERS  OF  THE  HORN-BILL  ON  THE  WAR-CLOAK,  AND  THE  TUFTS 
OF  HUMAN  HAIR  ON  THE  SHIELD,  WHICH  THE  WARRIOR  HOLDS,  ARE  THE 
BADGES    OF    A    SUCCESSFUL    HEAD-HUNTER. 


A    WAR  EXPEDITION  69 

Bowang  Takun.  Although  this  slaying  of  Tinggi  was  retribu- 
tive justice,  yet  according  to  Borneo  sentiment,  it  was  a  causa 
belli,  and  when  I  arrived  at  the  Baram  River,  on  a  second 
visit  to  Borneo,  about  three  months  after  these  events,  there 
were  already  reports  of  retaliating  expeditions  led  by  Tinggi's 
brother,  Kilup,  in  which  the  Tinjar  people  generally  joined, 
against  the  peaceful  dwellers  on  the  Baram;  women  had  been 
frightened  from  the  rice-clearings  by  the  traces  of  recent  camp- 
fires,  and  of  fresh  footprints  in  the  adjacent  jungle,  and  doubt- 
less would  have  been  attacked,  and  killed,  and  decapitated, 
had  not  their  husbands  mounted  guard  each  day,  clad  in  war- 
coat  and  war-cap,  and  fully  armed  with  spear,  parang,  and  shield. 
Reports  of  new  disturbances  and  threatened  outrage  came  by 
every  canoe  from  up  the  river  that  halted  at  the  Baram  Bazaar, 
until  finally  Dr.  Hose  determined  to  crush  out  this  portentous 
feud  betimes  before  it  reached  greater  and,  possibly,  unmanage- 
able proportions. 

The  whole  Kayan  population  of  the  river  was,  moreover, 
somewhat  in  a  commotion,  owing  to  the  accidental  death  of 
Oyang  Luhat,  one  of  its  influential  Chiefs.  The  control  of  three 
or  four  hundred  people  had  thus  fallen  to  his  eldest  son,  Abun, 
and  the  large  household  were  beginning  to  fret  under  the  tedious 
restraints  of  the  prolonged  mourning ;  these  restraints  could  be 
removed  only  by  adding  to  the  household  collection  a  benefi- 
cent fresh  head  or  two ;  consequently,  under  a  new  and  vigorous 
young  leader  there  was  imminent  danger  of  an  extensive  and 
formidable  raid  upon  all  the  Tinjar  people.  Furthermore,  it 
happened  to  be  just  at  the  beginning  of  the  rainy  season,  when 
there  was  nothing  to  be  done  but  to  wait  for  the  rice,  already 
planted,  to  sprout  and  grow.  Even  in  highly  civilized  commu- 
nities, Satan  finds  some  mischief  still  for  idle  hands  to  do,  so, 
too,  in  Borneo  what  can  be  more  natural  than  that  days  of 
idleness  should  prompt  a  mischievous  use  of  spear  and  parang  ? 

His  Excellency,  Rajah  Brooke,  (this  wise  and  beneficent 
ruler,)  has,  of  course,  made  every  possible  effort  to  eradicate  the 
custom  of  head-hunting  in  Sarawak,  but  in  a  country  without 
roads,  and  where  news  travels  no  faster  than  the  river's  sluggish 
current,  swift  retribution  for  any  outrage  is  impossible ;  and,  with 
the  small  force  of  Englishmen  who  act  as  his  Residents,  it  is 


70 


HOME-LIFE   OF  BORNEO   HEAD-HUNTERS 


almost  inconceivably  difficult,  in  districts  isolated  by  well-nigh 
impenetrable  jungle,  to  follow  up  and  arrest  any  offender,  much 
more  a  head-hunter,  whom  the  natives  themselves,  holding  head- 
hunting to  be  a  most  praiseworthy  virtue,  screen  to  the  best  of 
their  ability. 

Where  the  decapitated  victim  has  relatives  or  near  and  dear 
friends,  there  the  Rajah's  officers  may  possibly  obtain  some  aid ; 
but  even  under  these  favorable  conditions,  the  information  is 
reluctantly  given,  unless  the  hope  is  held  out  of  a  participa- 
tion in  the  punishment  or  the  retaliation. 

In  such  circumstances,  it  is  remarkable  and  redounds  greatly 
to  the  efficiency  of  the  Sarawak  government,  that  exceed- 
ingly few  murderers  escape  detection  and  punishment,  even 
should  it  take  years  to  trace  them.  The  punishment  is  not 
always  a  death  sentence  ;  it  may  be  a  heavy  fine.  The  venera- 
tion with  which  the  practice  of  head-hunting  is  regarded  by  the 
tribes  of  the  central  high-lands,  and  the  fact  that  they  have  been 
taught  by  their  fathers  and  grandfathers  that  it  is  a  religious 
duty,  cannot  but  influence  the  Rajah  and  his  Residents  to  incline 
to  leniency  in  their  judicial  sentences  on  these  people  whenever 
there  has  been  provocation,  albeit  slight,  for  the  commission  of 
the  deed.  Where  a  whole  household  of  more  than  a  hundred 
men  has  made  an  unprovoked  raid  upon  an  unsuspecting  neigh- 
bor, the  Rajah,  on  several  occasions,  has  wisely  allowed  the 
injured  tribe  to  make,  as  a  kind  of  '  wild  justice,'  a  retaliating  raid 
upon  the  aggressors  ;  but  the  expedition  has  been  always  under 
the  direction  of  one  of  his  Residents,  who  makes  sure  that  only 
the  guilty  are  attacked, — if  unrestrained,  the  natives  would  be 
driven  by  excitement  to  kill  all  who  cross  their  path,  whether 
friend  or  foe. 

To  resume  the  story  of  the  troublous  times  on  the  Baram. 
It  was  decided  by  the  Government  to  quiet  the  disturbances  at 
the  very  outset  by  administering  a  severe  lesson  to  those  turbu- 
lent natives  on  the  Tinjar  who  still  resented  the  legal  slaying 
of  the  murderer,  Tinggi ;  accordingly,  a  war  expedition  was 
planned,  which  should  be  the  means  of  intimidating  the  seditious 
tribe,  without,  it  was  ardently  hoped,  the  shedding  of  any  blood, 
and,  withal,  of  such  an  imposing  character  that  the  mere  demon- 
stration might,  of  itself,  lead  even  to  a  lasting  peace. 


COUNCIL   OF  WAR,    DURING   A    MARCH    TO   THE    HOUSE   OF 
AN    ENEMY. 


A    WAR  EXPEDITION  7 1 

Dr.  Hose  decided,  first  of  all,  to  investigate  the  truth  of  the 
rumours  concerning  the  marauding  Lerons.  With  this  end  in 
view,  he  decided  to  set  out  at  once  for  the  house  of  the  young 
Chief,  Abun,  just  mentioned,  about  one  hundred  and  twenty 
miles  up  the  Baram,  where,  if  the  rumours  proved  correct,  his 
forces  could  be  mustered. 

We  arrived  after  dark  at  Long  Lama  ('  Long '  meaning 
the  inotcth  of  a  river,  and  '  Lama '  being  the  name  of  a  stream 
at  whose  junction  with  the  Baram  Abun's  house  is  situated). 
The  river's  bank,  sloping  gradually  in  low,  irregular  terraces  of 
sandy  mud  up  to  the  house,  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from 
the  shore,  was  dotted  in  all  directions  with  little  fires,  whereon 
the  natives  were  cooking  venison.  A  deer  had  been  killed  in  the 
clearings,  and,  although  the  flesh  is  oneof  the  greatest  of  delicacies, 
it  must  never  be  cooked  in  the  house ;  the  timidity  of  the  deer 
will  be  infused  into  the  household.  By  inhaling  its  spirit,  liber- 
ated by  fire,  young  men  assimilate  its  timidity  and  become 
cowards  in  battle, — therefore  the  flesh  is  cooked  in  the  open 
air,  and  the  timid  spirit  at  once  makes  its  way  again  to  the 
jungle.  Several  of  the  natives,  when  they  recognized  us,  deserted 
their  flesh-pots  and  came  down  to  meet  us,  carrying  fire-brands, 
which  they  waved  vigorously  to  keep  them  blazing  and  give  us 
light.  Of  course,  all  knew  that  a  visit  from  the  Resident  meant 
something  of  importance,  but,  according  to  Kayan  etiquette, 
the  purpose  must  not  be  broached  until  we  were  settled  in  the 
veranda.  Escorted  by  these  torch-bearers  we  picked  our  way 
past  the  fires  up  the  soggy,  muddy  bank,  walked  warily  on 
the  pathway  of  slippery  logs,  and  so  to  the  notched  log 
whereby  the  veranda  is  gained. 

The  immense  long-house,  looking  on  its  high,  multitudinous 
piles  like  a  gigantic  centipede,  stretched  far  away  to  the  right  and 
to  the  left  into  the  darkness  under  rustling  cocoanut  palms  ;  mon- 
grel dogs  barked  and  yapped  round  our  heels,  and  from  beneath 
the  house  snorting  pigs  rushed  hither  and  thither  in  all  directions. 
The  house  seemed  deserted ;  the  restrictions  of  mourning  had 
banished  all  mirth,  music,  and  song ;  the  only  signs  of  life  along 
its  whole  length  were  three  or  four  dim  fires  flickering  on  the  clay 
hearths ;  hardly  a  sound  was  to  be  heard  in  it.  With  as  much 
dignity  as  can  be  assumed  when  crawling  on  all  fours  up  an 


72  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

almost  perpendicular,  and  slippery,  and  notched  pole,  \vt  gained 
the  veranda,  where  the  young  Chief  greeted  us  cordially,  and 
ceremoniously  conducted  us  to  the  clay  hearth,  the  place  of 
honor,  in  front  of  his  own  door.  Fresh  wood  to  replenish  the 
fire  was  brought,  and  several  small  tin  kerosene  lamps,  made  by 
Chinese  at  the  Bazaar,  and  without  glass  chimneys,  were  placed 
here  and  there,  on  the  floor,  and  on  the  beams.  It  was  not 
advisable,  even  had  it  been  etiquette,  to  divulge  at  once  the  pur- 
pose of  our  visit,  or  even  to  allude  to  the  Tinjar  people ;  so  drop- 
ping cross-legged  about  the  fire,  we  accepted  the  proffered  bead- 
work  box  of  coarse  Kayan  tobacco  and  banana-leaf  wrappers, 
and  joined  the  encircling  and  rapidly  increasing  group,  in  a  social 
cigarette.  The  talk  drifted  up-river  and  down-river,  discussing 
crops  of  rice  and  the  promise  of  the  abundance  of  rattan,  or  of 
gutta,  or  of  camphor  yet  to  be  gathered  in  the  jungle.  Occa- 
sional puffs  of  hot  air  were  wafted  in  under  the  eaves,  bringing 
with  them  the  combined  scent  of  the  fires  on  the  bank,  of  mud, 
and  of  damp  chips  from  the  logs  which  beneath  the  house  were 
being  fashioned  into  canoes.  The  brief  twilight  of  the  tropics 
was  gone,  the  night  was  already  as  black  as  ink,  although  it  was 
barely  a  half  hour  after  sunset,  and  the  insects  had  not  yet 
begun  the  incessant  din  of  their  nocturnal  medley. 

Gradually,  Dr.  Hose  led  up  the  conversation  to  the  kiUing  of 
Tinggi  and  to  the  retaliation  of  the  Lerons.  At  once  eyes  flashed, 
and  every  man  was  eager  to  set  forth  his  account  of  the  outrages ; 
some  asserted  that  women  and  children  working  in  the  rice-fields 
had  been  murdered  ;  others  maintained  that  certain  rattan-cutters 
had  caught  sight  of  a  large  force  of  Tinjar  people,  in  the  jungle 
close  by  Long  Lama ;  again,  others  said  that  the  Tinjar  maraud- 
ers numbered  hundreds,  while  others  contended  that  there  were, 
at  most,  but  a  dozen  or  so.  Finally,  it  turned  out  that  no  one 
present  had  actually  seen  a  single  enemy,  and  the  substance  of  the 
stories  was  so  flimsy  that  the  purpose  of  the  expedition  threat- 
ened to  come  to  naught,  when  suddenly  our  ears  caught  the 
rhythmical  and  rapid  thump  of  paddles,  followed  by  the  grating 
sound  of  the  beaching  of  canoes.  Flickering  torches  struggled 
up  the  bank  toward  the  house,  and,  as  though  by  telepathy,  it 
flashed  upon  every  one  that  Juman  himself  was  at  hand. 

Presently,  sure  enough,  in  came  the  hero  of  the  hour,  with  fifteen 


A   CHIEF   AND   TWO   SLAVES    IN    WAR   COSTUME. 

THE  SLAVES  ARE  MAKING  READY  THE  POISONED  DARTS  FOR  THEIR  BLOW- 
PIPES. IN  THEIR  HAMPERS  ARE  THE  SLEEPING-MATS  FOR  THE  CHIEF  AND 
THEIR    COOKING    POTS. 


i^-*..^^ 


A    WAR  EXPEDITION  y-i, 

or  twenty  followers.  All  took  their  places  amid  the  squatting 
group,  as  unconcernedly  as  if  their  minds  were  as  free  of  care,  as 
their  bodies  of  clothes.  Juman  seated  himself  beside  us  on  the 
low  platform.  Again,  we  had  to  comply  with  the  inviolable 
rules  of  Bornean  propriety,  and  converse  on  any  subject  under 
heaven,  save  on  the  sole  object  of  the  visit ;  but  this  time  it  did 
not  take  so  long  to  beat  about  the  bush.  After  a  few  decorous 
minutes,  Juman,  jumping  to  his  feet,  poured  forth  to  the  assembly 
a  harrowing  account  of  the  horrid  dangers  to  which  his  house- 
hold was  exposed  every  hour  of  the  day  and  night  from  this 
crowd  of  skulking,  murderous  Lerons!  He  spoke  in  Kayan,  a 
language  of  soft,  lingual,  and  prolonged  vowel  sounds,  abruptly 
interspersed  with  short  gutturals  pronounced  far  back  in  the 
throat ;  and  while  relating  his  wrongs  he  stamped  with  his  bare 
feet,  turning  first  to  this  side,  then  to  that,  wildly  waving  his  arms, 
snapping  his  fingers,  and  emphasising  the  close  of  each  sentence 
by  shouting  '  Bahh  !  bahh  ! ' — a  convenient  exclamation  to  gain 
time  for  ideas ;  I  fear  it  corresponded  to  the  cough  which  afflicts 
our  own  after-dinner  speakers.  The  telling  point  of  the  speech 
was  that  the  camp  of  the  enemy  had  been  actually  discovered 
close  to  Juman's  own  fields,  and,  from  the  way  that  the  jungle 
had  been  trodden  down,  the  war-party  must  be  in  large  numbers  ; 
much  of  the  rice  had  been  uprooted  just  as  it  was  beginning  to 
sprout,  and  many  of  their  banana  trees  had  been  wantonly 
slashed  to  pieces.  There  were  men  here  with  Juman, — he  called 
them  forth  and  bade  them  tell  their  stories, — who  had  actually 
seen  the  encampment  of  the  enemy,  and  the  hundreds  of  foot- 
prints on  the  bank  of  the  stream  where  they  had  rested.  Juman 
was  clearly  an  orator,  and  swayed  at  will  the  emotions  of  the 
assembly  ;  volleys  of  grunts  marked  approval  of  his  eager  words ; 
cigarettes  burned  quick  and  fast  under  excited  puffing. 

When  Juman  dropped  on  his  haunches,  there  followed  an 
ominous  silence, — the  hush  before  a  storm.  Dr.  Hose  at  once 
perceived  that  the  native  blood  was  deeply  stirred,  and  that  these 
reports  about  the  Lerons,  who  had  no  right  to  be  in  this  part  of 
the  country  at  all,  were  probably  correct,  and  would  infallibly  lead 
to  an  indiscriminate  war.  The  thirst  of  the  people  for  vengeance 
must  not  be  absolutely  thwarted,  but  judiciously  controlled. 
Accordingly,  he  at  once  addressed  them  very  earnestly,  approv- 


74  HO  ME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

ing  of  their  just  indignation,  and  fearlessly  telling  them  that  the 
reason  why  their  expeditions  so  often  failed  was  because  they 
lost  so  much  time  in  consulting  Omen  Birds,  that  the  enemy 
had  time  to  prepare  themselves  or  to  decamp.  Now  was  the 
hour  when  the  lives  of  their  wives  and  children  depended  upon 
instant  action,  and  he  impressively  concluded  by  saying  : — 

'  This  time  do  not  ask  advice  from  birds,  get  ready  to-night 
at  once,  and  we'll  all  start  at  dawn  to-morrow  and  chase  these 
thieves  and  cowards  back  to  their  river !  or  else  many  fresh 
heads  will  hang  in  the  houses  on  the  Baram !  But  remember, 
that  though  the  Government  is  with  you  in  this  fight,  it  makes 
war  on  the  guilty,  and  on  no  one  but  the  guilty.  Go,  therefore  ! 
Send  messengers  without  delay,  up-river  and  down,  to  summon 
all  Kayan  fighters  to  arms !  And  to  be  ready  to  join  us  to- 
morrow before  the  birds  wake  up ! ' 

For  several  seconds  every  man  sat  motionless  with  dilated  eyes 
and  open  mouth,  hardly  realising  the  joyful  news.  Then  with  one 
wild  shout  all  bounded  to  their  feet,  and  the  whole  house  from 
end  to  end  was  staring  wide  awake  and  fairly  quivering  with  life ! 
Canoes  were  hastily  launched  in  the  darkness  and  dispatched 
up  and  down  the  black  river,  to  bear  the  swift  news  to  friendly 
houses  miles  away.  The  slamming  of  doors  was  incessant,  dusty 
and  long  unused  spears,  shields,  war-coats,  caps,  were  eagerly 
brought  from  sleeping-rooms  into  the  veranda,  for  inspection,  or 
for  repairs,  or  for  fresh  decorations.  Clay  lamps  with  damar- 
gum  sizzling,  sputtering,  and  smoking,  were  lit  everywhere. 
Crouched  about  one  lamp  was  a  group  of  young  men  warming 
fresh  *  Ipoh '  {arroiv  poisoii),  and  smearing  it  on  the  tips  of  the 
darts  for  their  blow-pipes.  Around  another,  was  gathered  a  group 
busily  cutting  new  darts  and  shaping  the  pith  butts  to  fit  tightly 
in  the  bore  of  the  blow-pipe.  Others  sharpened  their  spears  and 
parangs,  rearranging  the  dangling  charms,  which  they  smeared 
with  the  blood  of  chickens,  while  murmuring  exhortations  to  them 
to  protect  the  bearer  from  all  harm  and  help  the  parang  to  deal 
death  at  a  single  blow.  All  the  women,  too,  and  the  girls,  joined 
in  the  hurry-scurry,  and  stitched,  on  the  backs  of  war-coats,  horn- 
bill  feathers,  or  big  butterflies  embroidered  in  black  and  yellow 
beads.  Many  a  love-knot  was  tied,  that  night,  and  fastened  on 
parang,  war-coat,  and  shield,  and   I  am  quite  sure  that  some 


1.  WOODEN  FORM  ON  WHICH  THE  PITH  BUTTS  OF  THE  DARTS  USED  IN 
A  BLOW-PIPE  ARE  SHAPED.  THE  PIECE  OF  PITH  IS  FASTENED  ON  THE 
POINT  AT  THE  END,  AND  CUT  TO  THE  PROPER  CONE  SHAPE:  THE  BASE  OF 
THE  CONE  IS  GAUGED  BY  THE  WOODEN  FORM.  WHICH  IS  THE  EXACT  SIZE 
OF    THE    BORE    OF    THE    BLOW-PIPE. 

2.  PALATE    WHEREON    ARROW    POISON     IS    MIXED. 


KAYAN    WAR-COAT   OF    GOAT'S   SKIN. 

THE  WARRIOR'S  HEAD  IS  INSERTED  THROUGH  THE  OPENING,  AND  THE 
PART  DECORATED  WITH  THE  FEATHERS  OF  A  HORN-BILL  PROTECTS  HIS 
BACK,  WHILE  THE  SHORT  FLAP,  WEIGHTED  WITH  THE  PEARL  SHELL,  HANGS 
OVER  HIS  CHEST.  ONLY  THOSE  WHO  HAVE  TAKEN  HEADS  ARE  ENTITLED  TO 
WEAR  THE  HORN-BILL  FEATHERS,  WHICH  ARE  ALWAYS  TRIMMED  TO  POINTS 
WHEN  USED  TO  DECORATE  WAR-COATS.  THE  PEARL  SHELL  IS  PLACED  UPON 
THE  COAT  BECAUSE  FROM  THIS  SHELL  THE  SPIRIT  OF  A  WARRIOR,  SLAIN 
IN  BATTLE,  MUST  MAKE  THE  BOAT  WHICH  IS  TO  CARRY  IT  ACROSS  THE 
RIVER  TO  THE  HAPPY  LAND  OF  THE  DEAD.  THE  ORNAMENT  OF  BEAD-WORK, 
SHAPED  LIKE  A  BUTTERFLY,  JUST  BELOW  THE  OPENING  FOR  THE  HEAD,  IS 
THE    FEMININE    CONTRIBUTION    TOVs'ARD   THE    DECORATION    OF   THE   WAR-COAT. 


A    WAR  EXPEDITION  75 

young  hearts  beat  high  with  hopes  of  presenting,  as  the  fairest 
of  bridal  gifts,  what  no  female  Kayan  heart  could  possibly  resist, 
— a  lovely,  fresh,  human  head.  But,  perhaps,  I  was  too  senti- 
mental, and  imputed  romantic  aspirations  to  those  dusky  breasts 
which  entertained  no  such  lodgers.  For  as  I  sat  there  passively 
watching  this  strange  scene,  so  dramatic  and  unreal  to  me,  and 
so  earnest  and  real  to  the  actors,  I  saw  a  girl  with  serious 
mien  furtively  thrust  into  a  young  warrior's  hand  a  strip  of  bead- 
work  of  her  own  making,  wherewith  to  ornament  the  scabbard  of 
his  parang.  I  am  sorry  to  say  that,  so  far  from  responding  to 
any  tender  sentiment,  the  young  fellow  looked  decidedly  sheep- 
ish, and  not  a  little  puzzled  by  the  gift,  and,  alas !  I  could  not 
detect  that  he  even  thanked  her  for  it.  Half  an  hour  later  I 
saw  him  wandering  about,  dangling  the  precious  love-token  aim- 
lessly in  his  hand.  I  concluded  that  she  had  better  throw  him 
over ;  such  ardour  as  his,  never  leads  to  where  glory  waits. 

Hearing  vigorous  stamping  and  loud  shouting  in  the  room 
of  the  young  Chief,  Abun,  I  entered  unbidden.  In  the  middle 
of  the  room,  which  was  unusually  large,  stood  an  old  warrior 
decked  out  in  war-coat  and  cap,  and  brandishing  a  spear  in  one 
hand  and  a  shield  in  the  other ;  around  him  in  a  circle  sat  eight 
or  ten  young  men  watching  breathlessly  his  every  movement. 

It  was  difficult  to  repress  a  smile  at  his  antics ;  but  the 
intense  earnestness  and  wrapt  attention  of  his  pupils  were  abso- 
lute ;  he  was  instructing  the  novices  how  to  lunge,  guard,  and 
parry  with  spear  and  shield.  With  a  shrill  shout  and  a  lofty 
caper  he  dashed  at  an  imaginary  foe,  warded  off  the  attack  with 
his  shield,  and,  crouching  low  behind  it,  gave  imaginary  crippling 
jabs  with  his  spear,  emitting  loud  grunts  the  while,  and  hopping 
from  right  to  left  at  each  thrust ;  these  thrusts  were  evidently 
fatal  to  the  phantom  foe,  for,  dropping  his  spear,  the  hoary 
instructor  drew  his  parang,  and  with  one  chop,  followed  by  saw- 
ing, severed  an  imaginary  head  from  its  body.  His  final  explo- 
sive grunt,  expressed  as  plain  as  words :  '  There  it  is  !  off  at  last ! 
simple  as  kiss  your  hand  !'  Again,  he  backed  and  sidled  to  show 
the  motions  when  an  enemy  attacks  in  the  rear  ;  or,  again,  he 
showed  how  to  creep  stealthily,  and  at  the  same  time  to  keep  the 
body  thoroughly  covered  by  the  shield,  which,  considering  that 
this  protecting  article  is  four  feet  long  by  eighteen  inches  wide, 


76  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

cannot  be  called  a  difficult  problem.  Of  course,  the  enemy  was 
always  stupid  and  completely  deceived  by  the  baldest  feints,  and 
inevitably  fell  an  easy  prey.  But  the  open-eyed  and  open- 
mouthed  youngters  drank  in  the  instruction  in  gulps.  Their 
instructor  could  not  be  called  a  handsome  old  man,  his  nose  was 
a  flattened  aquiline,  his  lips  thin  and  pushed  far  forward  like  a 
frog's ;  his  hands  were,  of  course,  tattooed,  for  his  knowledge  of 
warfare  had  been  gained  in  many  a  battle,  and  his  contribution 
to  the  household  collection  of  heads  was  large  ;  his  hair  was 
cropped  short,  (probably  out  of  respect  for  the  late  Chief,)  and 
stood  up  in  gray  bristles  all  over  his  head;  his  muscular  develop- 
ment, however,  was  fine  for  a  man  of  his  years,  and  his  litheness 
and  agility  were  remarkable. 

The  alcove  where  I  sat,  watching  this  military  drill,  was  the 
sleeping  platform  of  the  old  widowed  mother  of  the  Chief;  her 
mats  had  been  already  spread  for  the  night,  before  this  war  excite- 
ment had  begun.  She  sat  beside  me,  speaking  earnestly  and  bravely 
to  her  three  sons,  Abun,  Madong,  and  Batu,  squatting  in  front  of 
her,  each  busily  engaged,  while  listening  to  her,  in  selecting  from 
their  store  the  best  darts  for  their  blow-pipes,  and  replacing  with 
new  butts  any  old  ones  which  were  dry  or  cracked.  '  Be  brave, 
sons  of  mine,'  she  said,  in  earnest  tones,  '  and  remember  your 
father,  Oyang  Luhat,  the  bravest  of  the  brave,  the  friend  of  the 
Rajah,  and  one  who  obeyed  every  command  of  the  Government. 
Bring  back,  I  implore  you,  an  enemy's  head,  that  your  fearless 
father's  grave  may  be  honoured  with  a  fragment  of  it.  Obey  the 
orders  of  the  Tuan  Resident ;  if  he  forbids  you  to  kill,  then 
come  back  empty  handed  rather  than  disobey  the  Prenta.  If  you 
are  killed,  of  course  I  shall  wail  and  lament  for  you ;  but  I  am 
old,  and  shall  meet  you  soon  again  with  your  father  in  Long 
Julan,  where  all  brave  warriors  go  who  die  in  battle  or  by  acci- 
dent. And  you,  Batu,  [the  youngest,  about  eighteen  years 
old,]  be  not  headstrong,  but  follow  your  brothers  and  take  their 
advice  in  everything.' 

Her  words  were  so  simple  and  direct,  and,  withal,  uttered 
in  that  soft,  flowing  language  which  I  had  learned  to  Hke  so 
well,  that,  I  confess,  it  never  entered  my  mind  at  the  time  that 
her  personal  appearance  was  far  from  prepossessing.  I  saw  in 
her  only  a  modem  instance  of  the  Spartan  mother,  and  quite 


A  WAR-CANOE,  OR  A  RACING-CANOE,  MADE  FROM  A  SINGLE  LOG. 

IT    IS    ONE    HUNDRED    AND    TWENTY    FEET    LONG    AND     HOLDS    QUITE    EASILY    A 

HUNDRED    MEN. 


A    WAR  EXPEDITION  yy 

forgot  her  few  and  blackened  teeth,  and  her  sht  ear-lobes, 
enormously  elongated  by  her  mourning  ear-rings  of  heavy  wood. 
She  sat  on  the  floor  half  leaning  back  against  the  wall,  with  only 
a  strip  of  blue  cotton  cloth  (not  immaculate)  around  her  waist, 
and  covering  as  far  as  the  knee  her  thin,  wrinkled,  and  tattooed 
legs,  while  she  was  addressing  her  three  boys,  of  whom  she  was 
very  proud.  Her  eyes,  dimmed  from  age  and  from  the  daily  glare 
of  the  sun,  rested  first  on  one,  then  on  another,  but  most  fre- 
quently on  the  youngest,  Batu,  whose  marriage  was  to  take  place 
as  soon  as  the  tattooing  on  the  legs  of  his  bride  was  finished. 
Evidently  her  mother's  heart  feared  lest  this  high  prize  of  his 
enamoured  hopes,  coupled  with  his  youth,  might  spur  him  on 
to  hazard  more  danger  than  his  brothers.  The  ardour  of  the 
hour  was  contagious,  and  I  saw  (honesty  bids  me  acknowledge) 
nothing  unnatural  or  unmotherly  in  these  prayers  to  her  sons  to 
bring  home  a  freshly  severed  head,  to  hang  in  consecrated  repose 
above  the  domestic  hearth  or  on  an  honoured  father's  grave. 

In  the  veranda,  all  the  bustle  and  excitement  were  continued ; 
fresh  recruits  kept  constantly  arriving  from  neighbouring  houses, 
and  from  rice-clearings,  where  men  often  pass  the  night  in  small 
huts.  Outside,  in  front  of  the  house,  in  the  granaries  for  rice, 
there  was  also  much  commotion,  the  commissariat  department 
must  not  be  overlooked ;  a  good  store  of  rice  had  to  be  packed 
in  baskets  and  bags  of  a  size  convenient  for  handling.  In  this 
work,  the  youngsters  could  help,  and  the  sturdy  little  chaps, 
infected  with  the  excitement  of  their  elders,  forgot  sleep,  and 
shouted  and  laughed  as  they  darted  here  and  there,  and  stumbled 
in  the  dark,  carrying  the  baskets  down  to  the  canoes  at  the  river's 
edge. 

Long  before  the  excited  stir  and  confusion  had  subsided,  we 
were  stretched  out  on  our  mats  upon  the  floor  to  snatch  a  few 
hours  of  sleep  before  dawn ;  whether  or  not  the  natives  slept  at 
all  is  doubtful ;  when  we  awoke  at  the  first  streaks  of  gray  in  the 
east,  the  bustle  of  embarking  was  at  its  height. 

Just  as  the  first  red  beams  of  level  light  came  gleaming  down 
the  long  stretch  of  the  river,  five  of  the  most  energetic  canoes 
.swung  out  from  the  shore,  and  a  mighty  shout  went  up  from 
their  sixty  or  seventy  paddlers  ;  the  foam  and  spray  dashed  and 
sparkled  and  glittered  from  the  paddles  j  the  thwarts  creaked  in 


78  HO  ME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

their  rattan  bindings  as  the  canoes  fairly  bent  and  quivered 
under  the  powerful  strokes.  Away  they  darted  up-stream  racing 
for  the  lead,  the  snow-white  feathers  in  the  warriors'  caps  and  on 
the  war-coats,  glittered  like  burnished  silver  as  they  fluttered  and 
caught  the  glancing  sunlight. 

Every  few  minutes,  canoes  from  down-stream,  filled  with  war- 
riors in  panoply,  came  into  view,  just  touched  at  the  land- 
ing, asked  a  few  breathless,  excited  questions,  swerved  off, 
and  dashed  after  the  leaders.  The  women,  in  a  long  line, 
leaned  over  the  railing  of  the  veranda,  and,  let  us  hope,  '  rained 
influence ; '  certain  it  is  that  between  the  puffs  of  their  cigarettes 
they  broadly  smiled  encouragement  to  their  lovers  and  husbands, 
who  (it  pains  me  to  add)  paid  absolutely  no  attention  to  them. 
When  ten  or  twelve  canoes  had  started  off,  we  followed  in  our 
big  canoe,  manned  by  Ibans  from  the  Baram  Fort,  who,  though 
of  a  different  tribe,  love  fighting  as  passionately  as  do  the 
Kayans.  Not  to  be  outdone,  we  started  off  with  as  brave  a 
splash  and  as  vigorous  a  shout  as  the  best  of  them,  and  very 
soon  had  caught  up  with  the  main  body  of  canoes  that  were  just 
behind  those  that  were  the  first  to  break  the  placid  water  and 
catch  the  full  beams  of  the  rising  sun. 

Indeed,  it  was  a  thrilling  scene !  It  was  war,  savage  war,  and 
a  war  of  savages.  However  it  might  end,  be  it  bloody  or  blood- 
less, now  at  the  outset  fierce  eagerness  lit  up  all  faces,  and  a 
frenzy  for  blood  had  mounted  to  every  brain. 

As  we  rounded  a  turn  of  the  river  we  came  to  a  sudden 
pause.  The  advance  guard  of  five  canoes  had  hauled  up  to  the 
shore.  On  a  narrow  sandy  bank  an  excited  crowd  of  warriors 
were  kindling  a  fire  and  putting  up  poles  and  arches  of  sticks  cut 
along  their  whole  length  into  curled  shavings, — a  bird  of  good 
omen  had  been  seen  on  the  right  side  !  An  exhilarating  proof 
that,  although  the  usual  rites  had  been  neglected,  the  blessed 
birds  were,  after  all,  propitious.  The  fire,  an  unfailing  messenger 
from  man  to  the  omniscient  Omen-givers,  now  announced  to  the 
birds  that  their  favour  was  greatly  appreciated.  All  the  maturer 
men,  pre-eminent  among  them  our  old  friend,  the  whilom 
instructor  in  the  warlike  use  of  shield  and  spear,  evidently  also 
a  pronounced  and  respectable  conservative,  were  overjoyed,  and 
danced,  and  shouted,  round  the  fire  before  returning  to  their 


FIGURE-HEAD    OF    A    LONG    WAR-CANOE. 

THE    MAN    IS    AN    IBAN    OF    THE    REJANG     DISTRICT,    NOW    SETTLED    ON   THE 
BARAM.       HIS    COAT    IS    OF    NATIVE    MANUFACTURE    AND    DESIGN. 


A    WAR  EXPEDITION  79 

boats.  Although  no  such  spur  was  needed,  yet  unquestionably 
this  favourable  omen  imparted  a  fierce  exultant  joy  to  all,  and 
we  started  off  with  redoubled  zeal. 

The  canoes  kept  fairly  close  together  all  day,  but  as  the  sun 
mounted  higher  and  higher,  and  was  at  last  directly  overhead, 
the  paddling  became  somewhat  less  vigorous ;  cumbersome  war- 
coats  and  caps  were  placed  in  a  heap  in  the  centre  of  each  boat. 
Three  Or  four  times  we  all  halted  and  cooled  ourselves  off  by  a 
plunge  in  the  stream,  which,  now  that  we  had  passed  the  low- 
lands, ran  beautifully  clear.  Whenever  we  approached  friendly 
houses,  the  paddhng  became  furious,  the  shoutings  and  cries 
from  all  throats  were  renewed ;  to  which,  as  a  response,  several 
canoes  full  of  eager  warriors  would  unfailingly  push  out  from 
shore  to  join  us.  Then  again  was  the  air  filled  with  a  wild  din 
of  savage  whoops  and  halloos,  and  thrills  of  excitement  ran  from 
boat  to  boat. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  under  the  westering  sun,  we  reached 
Juman's  house  at  Bowang  Takun ;  the  house  is  a  large  one 
standing  at  some  little  distance  back  from  the  river  and  almost 
hidden  under  a  luxuriant  grove  of  cocoanut  palms.  Why  the 
spot  should  be  called  Onion  Lake,  seeing  that  there  are  neither 
onions  nor  lakes  there,  is  as  inexplicable  as  some  of  the  Bornean 
conventional  tattoo  designs.  There  is  a  slimy  pond,  to  be  sure, 
near  the  house,  which  as  it  is  water  might  suggest  a  lake, 
and  its  exceedingly  bad  odor  might  supply  a  reminder  of  the 
vegetable. 

As  the  day's  journey  closed  at  Juman's  house,  Juman  very 
naturally  claimed  the  privilege  of  acting  as  host  to  this  large 
party.  Furthermore,  was  he  not  the  indirect, — but  most  happy 
cause,  of  this  delightful  war  ?  Was  not  its  joyous  pretext  to 
avenge  his  wrongs  ?  Surely  it  was  his  pleasant  duty  then  to 
feed  the  warriors  royally.  (And  let  me  say  in  parenthesis  that  to 
supply,  at  a  few  hours'  notice,  food  and  lodging  for  four  or  five 
hundred  men  might  well  task  any  hospitality  save  that  of  a  Bor- 
nean.) Accordingly,  his  boats  had  pushed  on  ahead  at  the 
double  quick,  and  reached  his  house  several  hours  before  us. 
When  the  forty  or  fifty  canoes  (with  an  average  of  at  least  ten 
men  to  a  canoe)  drew  up  to  Juman's  beach,  the  slaughtering  of 
pigs  and  fowls  was  still  going  on,  and  great  troughs  full  of  boiled 


8o  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

rice  were  in  preparation.  In  order  not  to  be  in  the  way,  the 
whole  army  filled  in  the  spare  time  by  bathing  in  the  river,  and 
by  washing  their  chawats,  {waist-cloths^  which  were  spread  out 
on  the  pebbly  beach,  and,  until  they  were  dried,  the  owners 
remained  in  the  water.  Before  dark,  all  were  summoned  to  the 
supper,  which  was  spread  in  the  veranda  for  the  common  folk, 
and  in  Juman's  own  room  for  the  select  few.  In  two  rows  on 
the  floor  down  the  centre  of  the  whole  length  of  Juman's  room, 
where  we  dined,  were  squares  of  banana  leaf,  each  one  piled  high 
with  boiled  rice,  and  beside  each  cover  stood  a  little  bowl  of 
wood  or  of  coarse  china,  filled  with  cubes  of  boiled  pork  and 
chicken.  Between  the  rows,  about  every  three  feet,  were  large 
wooden  bowls  heaped  with  pulverised  salted  fish;  these  bowls 
were  in  common,  all  hands  might  dive  into  them  for  a  savory 
pinch.  As  soon  as  all  were  squatted,  some  began  to  fall  to 
at  once ;  whereupon  Juman  shouted  the  obligatory  welcome, 
'  Kuman  plahei  plahei,'  which,  as  I  have  said,  means  cat  slowly. 
He  had  no  shade  of  fear  that  his  guests  would  not  eat  heartily, — 
the  duration  of  the  meal  must  be  long, — '  the  linked  sweetness 
long  drawn  out.'  Mrs.  Juman  and  little  Miss  Juman  (I  failed 
to  catch  their  names  when  I  was  presented),  and  several  little 
Jumans  were  ubiquitous  in  their  zeal  that  all  should  be  helped, 
that  every  one  should  have  plenty ;  when  this  was  assured, 
they  sat  on  one  side  and  helped  themselves.  It  was  a  remark- 
ably quiet  feast,  all  attention  was  absorbed  in  disposing  of  the 
food  with  neatness,  and,  in  spite  of  the  injunction  of  Kuman 
plahei  plahei,  with  dispatch.  Considering  that  all  the  eating 
was  performed  without  knife,  fork,  spoon,  or  even  chop-sticks, 
the  cleanliness  with  which  they  all  ate,  brought  a  blush  to  our 
cheeks  when  we  contemplated  the  quantity  of  rice  scattered  about 
our  places  when  we  had  finished. 

Darkness  closed  in  soon  after  supper ;  the  men  all  gathered  in 
groups  in  the  veranda.  Again  and  again  the  stories  about  the 
hiding-place  of  the  enemy  were  rehearsed,  and  those  who  had 
been  among  the  fortunate  discoverers  of  this  hiding-place  never 
lacked  an  interested  party  of  listeners,  who  accepted  implicitly 
every  embellishment  which  each  repetition  brought  forth.  The 
plans  for  the  expedition  to  the  clearings  on  the  following  day 
were  discussed,  and,  in  a  sort  of  Council  of  War,  it  was  finally 


KELAVIT    BOK-A    HAIRY    SHIELD. 

ON  THE  OUTSIDE  IS  PAINTED  A  SQUATTING  FIGURE,  WITH  THE  ARMS 
HOOKED  UNDER  THE  BEND  OF  THE  KNEES,  AND  WITH  A  LARGE,  GRINNING 
FACE,  AND  WIDE,  STARING  EYES  AND  LONG  TUSKS.  COVERING  THE  PAINT- 
ING ARE  ROWS  AND  TUFTS  OF  HUMAN  HAIR,  CUT  FROM  THE  HEADS  OF  SLAIN 
ENEMIES.  ON  THE  INSIDE  OF  THE  SHIELDS  ARE  USUALLY  FIGURES  OF  MEN 
OR  WOMEN;  IT  IS  SAID  THAT  THE  FIGURES  OF  WOMEN  ARE  PAINTED  THERE 
SO  THAT  THE  WARRIOR  MAY  BE  CONSTANTLY  REMINDED  OF  HIS  WIFE  AND 
FAMILY  AT  HOME,  FOR  WHOSE  BENEFIT  AND  HONOUR  HE  IS  STRIVING  TO 
BRING  BACK  A  FRESH  HEAD.  IN  THE  SHIELD  HERE  PHOTOGRAPHED,  THE 
PATTERNS  ABOVE  AND  BELOW  THE  FIGURES  ARE  EVIDENTLY  DESIGNED  FROM 
THE  PECULIAR  CURVES  OF  THE  BEAK  AND  HORNY  CREST  OF  THE  HORN-BILL, 
THE  WAR-BIRD  OF  ALL  THE  TRIBES.  THESE  DESIGNS  ARE  ALMOST  INVARI- 
ABLE   IN    THE    DECORATION    OF    KAYAN    SHIELDS. 


A    WAR  EXPEDITION  8 1 

decided  that  the  whole  band  should  preserve  as  closed  ranks  as 
possible,  and  sedulously  use  every  expedient  in  the  jungle  to 
indicate  to  the  foe  their  formidable  numbers.  In  case  the  enemy 
had  scattered  only  to  reassemble,  its  scouts  would  become  aware 
of  the  perfectly  equipped  and  enormous  force  with  which  it  had  to 
deal.  (I  mention  these  details  to  show  that  this  expedition  was 
not  a  mere  armed  mob,  but  that  the  leaders  had  some  inkling  of 
the  rudiments  of  genuine  tactics.)  Every  one  was  keen  for  the 
fight;  a  protracted  peace  on  the  Baram  had  made  the  people 
restless  ;  the  heads  hanging  from  the  rafters  in  the  houses  were 
becoming  exceedingly  dusty,  and  their  beneficent  virtue  was, 
possibly,  evaporating. 

By  the  time,  however,  that  all  the  excited  rumors  of  the  num- 
ber of  the  foe,  and  of  its  movements,  had  been  thoroughly  sifted, 
I  think  I  could  detect  indications  that  several  of  the  older  and 
cooler  headed  Chiefs  began  to  waver  in  their  belief  that  there 
would  be  after  all  any  desperate  conflict ;  possibly  even,  that  this 
fierce  show,  with  all  the  paraphernalia  of  war,  would  in  itself 
prove  all-sufficient,  and  that  the  enemy  would  be  so  intimidated 
that  it  would  make  no  stand. 

As  the  evening  wore  on  and  the  damar  lamps  burned  low  with 
fitful  sputters,  I  deserted  the  Council  of  War,  and  joined  a  group 
where  care  had  been  cast  to  the  winds,  and,  by  tacit  consent,  the 
evening  before  the  battle  was  to  be  as  gay  and  festive  as  possible. 
A  youth  was  playing  on  the  kaluri,  and  a  sharp-featured  man  of 
middle  age  was  the  bard ;  he  had  a  deep  bass  voice  and  seemed 
to  be  widely  recognized  as  the  possessor  of  an  endless  repertoire 
of  songs, — every  song  that  was  called  for,  be  it  war-like,  be  it 
pastoral,  be  it  of  love,  or  be  it  of  the  nursery,  he  was  familiar 
with,  and  at  once  launched  into  the  solo,  while  the  rest  joined  in 
the  refrain. 

I  could  not  follow  word  for  word  these  Kayan  songs,  which 
are  often,  no  doubt,  quite  ancient.  The  unwritten  languages  of 
all  the  Polynesian  races  are  subject  to  remarkably  rapid  modifi- 
cations ;  wherefore  the  songs  and  legends  which  preserve  their 
original  form  are  very  difficult  for  modern  and  foreign  ears  to 
understand.  Juman  sat  cross-legged  next  to  me,  and  interpreted 
to  me  in  Malay,  from  time  to  time,  fragments  of  the  songs ;  one, 
I  remember,  had  a  very  catchy  rhythm  with  a  constant  refrain 


82  HOME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

'  Tama  Poyong  kapei  paJia,  Ara  wi  wi  ard'  According  to  Juman, 
It  was  a  woful  ballad  rehearsing  the  lament  of  a  young  girl  to 
her  mother  because  she  had  been  commanded  to  marry  '  Tama 
Poyong,  with  the  twisted  leg;'  her  plaintive  objections  to  Tama 
Poyong  as  a  husband,  on  various  grounds,  sent  Juman  and  all 
the  rest  of  the  group  into  such  fits  of  laughter  that  they  could 
hardly  join  in  the  chorus,  and,  of  course,  I  laughed  in  sympathy. 
Another  song  was  of  the  workers  in  the  fields,  and  then  followed 
a  minute  account  of  the  harvest-festival,  when  women  dress  like 
men  in  nothing  but  a  chawat,  and  parade  about  the  house  in  a 
long  procession  carrying  shield,  parang,  and  spear.  The  solo 
singer  sat  in  the  centre  of  the  group,  and  with  a  smile  glanced 
here  and  there  about  him  in  a  half-embarrassed  way,  keeping 
time  to  his  song  by  twirling  the  free  end  of  his  chawat  round 
and  round  in  front  of  him,  and  at  times,  for  emphasis,  whacking 
it  down  on  his  knee.  Whenever  women  were  represented  as 
speaking,  he  broke  into  a  high  falsetto. 

So  the  evening  wore  on  till  one  by  one  the  singers  crept  away, 
and  soon,  wrapped  in  their  long,  white  cotton  coverings,  were 
stretched  along  the  veranda  like  a  row  of  corpses  in  shrouds. 

The  next  morning  the  excitement  in  getting  off  in  the  boats 
that  there  had  been  at  Long  Lama  was  repeated.  Eight  or 
ten  more  canoes  from  up-river  joined  us  just  as  we  set  out, 
making  the  total  number  of  the  fleet  at  least  sixty,  carrying 
about  six  hundred, — truly  a  very  formidable  army  of  keen, 
savage  warriors.  After  ascending  the  river  a  short  distance,  the 
canoes  fell  into  single  file  and  turned  into  a  narrow  tributary 
stream,  leading  up  to  the  rice-clearings. 

On  both  sides,  trees  arched  over  the  stream  in  a  dense  canopy; 
thick  with  orchids,  ferns,  and  vines,  which  sent  their  blossoms, 
roots,  and  tendrils  down,  in  heavy  masses,  almost  sweeping  our 
heads ;  gorgeous  butterflies  flickered  and  fluttered  in  their  uncer- 
tain flight  just  above  the  surface  of  the  water  or  gathered,  like 
flaming  jewels,  on  patches  of  mud  on  the  banks  ;  hordes  of  mon- 
keys, aroused  by  the  unusual  bustle  and  turmoil  on  the  river, 
peered,  and  chattered,  and  jeered  at  us  from  a  safe  distance  above ; 
while  the  harsh  and  deep-toned  calls  of  the  horn-bills  boomed 
and  echoed  from  the  depths  of  the  jungle. 

For  several  hours  we  zigzagged  up  the  stream,  following  the 


POLING   CANOES  OVER   SWIFT    BUT   SHALLOW    RAPIDS. 


A    WAR  EXPEDITION  83 

deeper  courses  where  the  current  ran  less  swift,  under  shady, 
far-reaching  boughs,  whose  tips  dabbled  in  the  rippling  water ; 
gradually  the  stream  narrowed  and  ran  between  rocks  and 
pebbled  islands.  Paddles  were  ineffectual  against  the  swift  current, 
and  the  men  halted  to  cut  poles.  One  by  one,  the  long  line  of 
canoes  again  moved  off,  the  men  grunting  in  chorus  at  each 
shove  of  the  poles,  whose  successive  movements  travelled  along 
the  line  like  the  rippling  legs  of  a  centipede ;  the  man  in  the  bow 
raises  his  pole  and  sweeps  it  ahead  for  a  fresh  hold,  then  the 
next  man  behind,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  boat,  does  likewise 
with  the  same  motion,  and  so  down  the  whole  line,  each  waiting 
till  the  man  in  front  has  his  pole  firmly  fixed.  Then  all  the 
twenty  together,  with  a  profound  and  mighty  grunt,  give  a  shove 
that  sends  the  boat  ahead  for  fifteen  or  twenty  feet. 

By  this  time,  we  had  approached  so  near  to  the  lurking-place 
of  the  enemy  that  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  have  scouts  sent 
ahead,  especially  to  see  that  there  were  no  trees  on  the  banks 
which  had  been  partially  chopped  through  and  were  kept  in 
position  only  by  the  vines  binding  them  to  adjoining  trees ;  a 
fatal  trap  for  enemies  often  used  by  the  Borneans.  When  the 
trees  are  half  cut  through,  it  needs  but  a  single  blow  with  a 
parang  to  sever  the  vines  that  hold  it  and  then  down  it  goes 
crashing  on  the  boats  of  an  enemy,  and  while  the  occupants 
flounder  in  the  water  and  are  entangled  among  broken  branches, 
nothing  is  easier  than  to  reap  an  abundant  and  soothing  harvest 
of  human  heads. 

Thus  we  slowly  toiled  up  the  shallow  water  in  the  crawling 
canoes,  while  scouts  kept  abreast  in  the  jungle,  cutting  a  path 
for  themselves  in  the  dense  tangle  of  thorny  palms  and  rattans. 
Foremost  among  them  were  Abun,  the  Chief,  and  his  youthful  and 
ardent  brother,  Batu.  They  were  as  alert  as  hawks,  peering 
everywhere  for  indications  of  the  earnestly  desired  foe.  Every 
now  and  then  my  eyes  were  dazzled  by  flashes  from  a  diamond- 
shaped  decoration  on  Abun's  war-cap.  When  we  disembarked 
at  noon  I  found  that  this  glittering  jewel  was  a  tin  trade-mark 
stamped  in  familiar  letters  :  '  Devoe's  Brilliant  Kerosene  Oil.' 

For  some  inexplicable  reason,  the  Borneans  never  breakfast 
before  starting  on  any  expedition ;  but,  once  started,  they  always 
seem  to  choose  the  most  inopportune  time  for  their  first  meal ; 


84  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

just  when  they  have  fallen  fairly  into  the  swing  of  paddling  or 
poling,  they  must  needs  land  and  build  fires  for  cooking  rice.  Even 
war  permits  no  exception  to  this  exasperating  custom ;  so  at  noon 
the  whole  fleet  pulled  up  on  a  '  karangan/  or  pebbly  island, 
where,  in  fulfillment  of  the  strategy  planned  the  night  before, 
fully  a  hundred  fires  were  kindled  under  as  many  earthen  pots, 
and  over  a  widely  extended  area.  While  the  rice  was  boiling, 
some  energetic  workers  constructed  a  shelter  with  boughs  and 
large  palm  leaves  to  protect  the  Chiefs  and  the  *  Kalunan  putih,' 
{white  men^  from  the  vertical  rays  of  the  sun,  which  beat  down 
pitilessly  in  this  wide  expanse  of  the  stream,  where  a  tributary, 
almost  equal  in  size,  joined  its  broad  waters.  The  smoke  drifted 
hazily  and  lazily  into  the  thick,  ever-dripping  jungle,  and  the 
water  swirled  over  the  smooth  hidden  rocks  and  broke  into  '  un- 
numbered smiles  '  in  the  flecks  of  sunshine.  War-caps  and  coats 
were  laid  aside,  and  for  an  hour  there  was  rest  for  warriors, 
filled  with  peace  and  rice.  It  is  to  be  feared  that  under  this 
soothing  influence  the  pristine  enthusiasm  which  marked  the 
start  was  slightly  ebbing ;  '  weary  seemed  the  oar,  and  weary  the 
wandering  fields  of  barren  foam;'  there  is  no  knowing  how 
much  longer  that  hour  would  have  lasted.  Juman  was  keep- 
ing himself  a  little  in  the  background,  now  that  his  alarming 
reports  were  so  soon  to  be  tested.  Of  a  sudden  the  note  of  instant 
war  was  struck  by  Ma  Obat,  {Father  of  Medicme^  of  most  fierce 
aspect,  but  a  braggart  and  at  heart  a  coward ;  one  of  his  eye- 
sockets  was  empty  and  in  the  other  rolled  a  bloodshot  orb,  whose 
red  lids,  from  which  the  lashes  had  been  plucked,  were  everted. 
He  started  up,  and,  with  a  shout  to  his  men  to  be  quick,  or  they 
would  never  reach  the  enemy,  bustled  down  to  his  boat,  slipping 
his  head  through  his  war-coat  and  girding  on  his  parang,  as  he 
went. 

This  sudden  call  broke  the  spell,  and  in  a  moment  all  were 
scurrying  to  the  boats,  but  not  before  every  peg  whereon  the 
pots  had  rested  was  with  scrupulous  care  pulled  up,  and  the 
embers  scattered; — nothing  brings  worse  luck  to  a  war-party 
than  the  omission  of  this  last  duty  in  breaking  camp.  One  by 
one  the  canoes  started  off  again  up-stream ;  sometimes  making 
their  way  with  difficulty  between  boulders,  then  again  gliding 
swiftly  over  placid  pools,  the  poles  rattling  and  splashing  on  the 


THE   WAR-PARTY    HALTED   ON   A   '  KARANGAN '   TO   COOK 
BREAKFAST. 


A    WAR  EXPEDITION  85 

pebbly  bottom.  Before  long,  we  reached  the  head  of  naviga- 
tion, and  here  at  last  were  the  rice-clearings, — the  very  ground 
whereon  the  foe  had  lately  trod.  For  half  a  mile  or  more  on  the 
left  bank  of  the  river,  the  jungle  had  been  cleared  and  the  sur- 
face burnt,  leaving  only  tall  charred  stumps  of  trees.  Here  and 
there  were  scattered  thatched  huts  on  high  poles,  where  the 
guardians  of  the  fields  sleep  at  night ;  and  all  the  undulating 
ground  about  the  scraggy  charred  tree  stems,  was  clothed 
thick  with  the  lush,  translucent  green  of  sprouting  rice. 

The  path  now  led  up  the  bed  of  the  stream,  here  dwindled 
to  a  mere  brook ;  the  foliage  was  dense  all  about  us,  and  all 
were  obliged  to  advance  as  stealthily  as  possible.  Every  face 
was  set,  with  keen  eyes  darting  in  every  direction,  and  every 
muscle  tense.  Not  an  instant  but  was  fraught  to  all  with  possi- 
ble death ;  at  any  moment  might  come  the  sudden  sharp  sting 
of  a  poisoned  arrow  from  an  invisible,  noiseless  blow-pipe.  No 
one  picked  his  steps, — eyes  could  not  be  spared  for  that.  The 
trembling  of  a  leaf  might  mean  a  fatal  wound.  It  was  a  thrill- 
ing, impressive  hour.  I  suppose  my  heart  would  have  beat 
quicker,  had  I  not  had  a  firm  conviction  that  the  victims  of  the 
unerring  blow-pipe  would  be  natives,  not  white  men.  Once  I  looked 
over  my  shoulder,  and  smiled  at  Abun  just  behind  me,  with  the 
repousse  legend  '  Devoe's  oil '  glittering  on  his  cap.  He  did  not 
return  the  smile,  but  gravely  shook  his  head,  in  deprecation  of 
all  lightmindedness  in  such  a  fateful  time.  Suddenly  there  was 
a  commotion  in  the  advance  guard,  loud  cries  and  vehement 
talking.  Then  a  quick  movement  forward.  I  thought  we  had 
actually  encountered  the  enemy,  but  just  as  suddenly  every  man 
came  to  a  halt  and  spears  were  grounded.  Our  foremost  scouts 
had  come  upon  the  camping-ground  of  the  wily  Lerons  ;  a  capa- 
cious shelter  of  interlacing  shrubs  and  overspread  with  large 
leaves  had  been  discovered ;  the  earth  was  blackened  and  deep 
with  the  ashes  from  their  fires ;  round  about,  we  found  the 
jungle  beaten  down,  and  while  we  were  closely  examining  these 
recent  traces,  one  of  our  scouts  came  back  in  great  excitement 
to  lead  us  to  the  edge  of  the  clearing,  where  a  treacherous  am- 
bush had  been  made,  whence  a  watch  could  be  kept  on  the 
labourers  in  the  rice-fields  and  a  sudden  onslaught  made  upon 
any  unwary  women  or  unarmed  men. 


86  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

The  last  doubt  was  now  dispelled.  Intruders  with  evil  intent 
had  been  skulking  in  the  neighborhood,  in  considerable  numbers, 
and  very  recently, — but  whither  had  they  fled  ?  Possibly,  they 
were  in  hiding,  awaiting  a  favorable  chance  to  attack,  or  else, 
after  we  had  given  up  the  pursuit,  to  return  to  their  deserted 
ambush. 

The  little  army,  gathered  on  the  banks  and  in  the  dry  bed  of 
the  stream,  waited  patiently  until  the  scouts  had  returned  from 
fruitlessly  searching  the  jungle  far  and  wide.  Then  a  council  of 
war  was  convened  upon  the  karangan.  It  was  of  no  use  to 
advance  further  unless  to  attack  some  household  on  the  Tinjar; 
— this  was  not  advisable  ;  no  one  knew  with  certainty  from  whose 
house  these  hostile  intruders  had  come,  and  indiscriminate  ven- 
geance was  out  of  the  question  where  the  Prenta  was  in  the  lead. 

It  was  futile  to  attempt  pursuit.  The  enemy  was  equipped 
for  land  travel,  which  we  were  not,  and,  as  they  had  at  least  a 
day's  start,  we  could  not  hope  to  catch  up  with  them.  Bitter 
was  the  disappointment  to  all.  Many  vehemently  declared  that 
they  were  willing  to  go  on,  without  rest  or  food,  by  night  and 
day,  only  let  them  taste  the  glorious  excitement  of  a  fight  for 
heads.  Ma  Obat  turned  his  one  seeing  but  unsightly  eye  on 
Dr.  Hose,  and  boldly  said,  (unblushingly  of  course,  and  in  a 
vainglorious  tone,)  '  If  the  Tuan  will  let  me  go  with  only  a  few  of 
my  men,  I  promise  I'll  bring  back  heads  ;  if  I  don't  find  these 
Lerons  I  know  where  to  find  some  Ivans  [thus  pronounced  by 
Kayans]  collecting  gutta  and  rattans.'  After  this  display  of 
courage  in  killing  unarmed  victims,  and  of  obedience  to  the 
Government,  he  assumed  an  expression  of  great  ferocity,  and 
rolled  his  cyclopean  eye  round  the  circle  to  note  the  effect  of 
his  words.  To  any  one  who  knew  how  untutored,  how  undisci- 
plined, how  childlike  are  the  minds  of  these  savages,  it  could 
hardly  have  been  discouraging,  certainly  not  surprising,  to  see 
how  many  were  the  nods  of  approval  which  followed  this  treason- 
able speech  ;  the  zealous  old  '  fencing-master  '  was,  as  might  be 
expected,  decidedly  on  Ma  Obat's  side,  and  a  grizzled  old  warrior, 
who,  during  the  discussion,  had  seized  the  opportunity  of  cooling 
himself  off  in  a  pool  directly  in  view  of  the  assembly,  cried  out, 
waving  his  arms  and  lying  flat  on  his  back  in  the  water,  '  That's 
the  talk!   that's  right!    I'll  go  with  Ma  Obat!   and  we'll  kill 


PARTY  OF   ARMED  WARRIORS   ON   A    NARROW    TRAIL 
IN    THE   JUNGLE. 


A    IVAR  EXPEDITION  Sj 

any  one  we  meet,  Ivan,  Leron,  Punan !  any  one  is  better  than 
no  one.' 

Ma  Obat  clearly  knew  his  audience.  I  think  he  had  really 
voiced  the  universal  sentiment.  Fortunately,  the  Resident  was 
present,  and  the  supreme  head ;  never  for  a  moment  would  he 
allow  the  possibility  of  such  an  unbridled  expedition  to  have  a 
lodgement  in  their  minds.  He  turned  to  Abun,  who  had  more 
men  under  his  command  than  any  other  Chief,  and  to  him  put 
the  question  whether  he  would  be  willing  to  lead  an  expedition 
into  the  country  of  the  Lerons,  and  solemnly  promise  that 
none  but  Leron  men  should  be  killed.  The  young  fellow  had  a 
hard  struggle ;  ardently  as  he  longed  to  approve  his  lately  in- 
herited Chiefship  by  leading  a  head-hunt,  and  piously  as  he 
desired  to  honour  his  father's  grave  with  a  fresh  head,  he  knew 
the  heavy  fines  the  Government  would  impose  on  his  House 
if  innocent  people  were  killed,  and  he  distrusted  the  precipitate 
temper  of  his  followers.  All  eyes  were  fixed  on  him  as,  for 
several  seconds,  he  sat  silent,  gazing  intently  at  a  little  pile  of 
pebbles  he  was  pushing  up  with  his  widespread  toes.  Then 
without  lifting  his  eyes  he  almost  whispered  to  the  Resident, 
'  Tuan,  I  cannot  promise  so  much  for  my  men.  Every  one  of 
them  has  known  me  as  a  mere  boy.  Although  they  follow 
me  for  my  father's  sake,  I  cannot  promise  they  will  do  as  I  com- 
mand when  we  get  in  sight  of  any  dweller  on  the  Tinjar,  armed 
or  unarmed.  No,  I  cannot  lead  the  expedition  and  keep  this 
promise.' 

At  this  reply,  a  grunt  of  unmistakable  disapproval  was 
emitted  by  the  whole  circle,  and,  to  prevent  at  once  any  more 
insubordinate  offers  like  Ma  Obat's,  Dr.  Hose  immediately  ended 
all  discussion  by  a  diplomatic  speech,  delivered  after  their 
fashion  with  great  emphasis,  and  brought  them  all  round  (mere 
children  as  they  are)  to  believe  that  the  expedition  had  been 
a  brilliant,  absolute  success.  Was  it  not  manifest  that  the 
enemy  had  scattered,  and  fled  in  wild  disorder  before  them? 
Had  not  the  real  object  of  the  war  been  gained  ?  Were  they 
not  glorious  conquerors,  every  one  of  them,  since  all  danger  to 
women  and  children  had  been  removed  ?  What  hostile  Leron 
would  now  dare  to  lurk  about  the  rice-clearings,  after  he  had 
noted  the  traces  of  this  resolute  army  of  invincible  warriors  ? 


88  HO  ME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

The  only  thing  to  do  now  was  to  start  an  enormous  peace 
expedition  into  the  Tinjar  country,  and  put  an  end,  once  for  all, 
to  the  present  feuds  by  the  payment  and  collection  of  '  Usut ' 
[indemnity]  and  by  the  performance  of  'Jawa'  [a  sham  battle]. 

The  speech  was  greeted  with  a  shout  as  triumphant  as  if  they 
saw  the  backs  of  their  enemy  disappearing  before  them ;  they 
sprang  to  their  feet,  and  spears,  shields,  and  parangs  clattered, 
and  plumes  waved,  and  so  clearly  were  they  victors,  that,  in 
imagination,  each  warrior  had  a  foeman's  head  dangling  at  his 
belt. 

One  and  all  turned  to  retrace  their  steps.  Where  but  an  hour 
before,  in  strained  silence,  we  had  crept  stealthily,  now,  that  all 
danger  of  a  lurking  foe  was  dispelled,  we  scrambled  along, 
laughing,  shouting,  clattering  iron-shod  spears  on  the  stones, 
and  hurrying  to  be  first  at  the  boats.  Abun,  Madong,  and 
Batu  did  not  share  in  this  exultant  mood ;  they  alone  seemed 
down-hearted  ;  they  and  their  household  must  continue  to  endure 
the  burdensome  restrictions  of  mourning. 

It  was  during  this  straggling  march  that  the  '  fencing-master/ 
who  was,  it  appears,  a  Past-Master  in  knowledge  of  all  rites  and 
usages  of  war,  and  his  word  law,  announced  that  in  a  case  like 
the  present,  where  a  war-party  had  failed  to  bring  home  a  head 
because  the  enemy  had  scattered,  it  was  quite  in  accordance 
with  time-honoured,  head-hunting  custom  to  borrow  a  head; 
the  benign  influence,  from  a  relic  thus  rejuvenated  by  posing  as 
a  head  freshly  taken,  would  then  be  diffused  in  its  adopted  home. 
This  announcement  amazingly  heartened  the  young  brothers. 

We  now  shot  in  a  few  hours  through  rapids  and  over  rocks, 
where,  on  our  way  up,  we  had  toiled  almost  all  day  long.  As 
the  sun  slowly  declined,  the  faster  we  raced,  helter-skelter ;  spray 
was  flying,  paddles  thumping,  the  canoes,  creaking  and  grinding 
over  the  rocks,  dashed  together  in  a  mad  race  to  be  the  first  to 
reach  Juman's  house  and  proclaim  the  glorious  news  that  we  had 
put  the  enemy  to  flight.  The  canoe  wherein  I  sat,  was  one  of 
the  earliest  to  reach  Bowang  Takun,  and  I  could,  therefore, 
count  the  canoes  as  they  came  darting  through  the  dense  leafy- 
arch  where  the  smaller  stream  entered  the  Baram.  There  were 
in  all  sixty  by  the  count.  No  sooner  were  they  drawn  up  on 
the  sloping  bank,  than  their  occupants,  numbering  at  least  six 


A   STEALTHY   APPROACH    TO   THE    HOUSE   OF   AN    ENEMY. 


A    WAR  EXPEDITION  89 

hundred,  were  one  and  all,  dashing  and  splashing  in  the  water. 
[Indeed,  it  might  be  almost  asserted  that  the  Kayans  and  Ken- 
yahs  live  as  much  in  the  water  as  out  of  it.  Although  they  may 
have  been  wading  alongside  of  their  canoes  all  day,  yet  there  is 
never  a  halt  of  even  a  few  minutes  that  they  do  not  divest  them- 
selves of  their  one  garment  and  at  least  extend  themselves  in  the 
water,  if  it  is  not  deep  enough  for  swimming.  It  would  be  as 
monstrous  for  a  Kayan  boy  not  to  know  how  to  swim  as  for  a 
white  boy  not  to  know  how  to  run.] 

After  the  restful  bath  and  the  cooking  of  the  evening  meal, 
on  the  bank, — this  time  we  were  not  Juman's  guests, — the  expe- 
dition began  to  disband.  Those  who  lived  only  a  short  distance 
up  or  down  the  river  heaped  their  cumbersome  accoutrements  in 
their  canoes  and  glided  off  into  the  darkness. 

Abun's  party  had  a  pious  duty  to  perform ;  accordingly,  we 
spent  the  night  at  Bowang  Takun,  where  Abun  was  going  to 
borrow  the  head.  The  loan  was  transacted  with  minutest  care ; 
the  head  was  reverently  lifted  from  its  resting-place  by  a  very 
old  man,  whose  remnant  of  days  on  earth  was  nearly  spent, 
and  who,  therefore,  shrank  less,  than  a  younger  man  would 
shrink,  from  a  touch  which  is  sure  to  be  followed  by  speedy 
death.  From  the  moment  that  the  skull  was  touched  a  deep 
solemnity  fell  on  all.  No  laugh,  no  jest,  no  light  word  broke  the 
reverence  of  what  all  felt  to  be  a  holy  act.  The  skull  was  care- 
fully swathed  in  palm  leaves  and  tied  under  the  bow  of  Abun's 
boat,  so  that  it  just  grazed  the  water. 

Early  on  the  following  morning  we  all  set  out  for  Long  Lama, 
Abun's  boat  in  the  lead,  and  without  stopping  all  that  day  we 
drifted  silently  down  with  the  slow  current  under  a  scorching 
sun.  Abun's  canoe  and  one  or  two  others  pushed  on  a  little 
faster  than  the  rest,  and  when  at  about  five  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon we  were  distant  from  Long  Lama  only  one  turn  of  the  river, 
we  found  that  they  had  there  disembarked,  and  had  already 
prepared  a  wonderfully  decorated  and  elaborate  camp;  there 
the  whole  party  must  remain  for  the  night,  and  not  be  even 
seen  by  any  member  of  Abun's  household  till  dawn  of  the  next 
day.  All  around  the  tent-like  shelter  of  palm  leaves  were  hori- 
zontal poles  resting  on  forked  sticks,  whereon  were  hung  the 
war-coats  and  caps,  and  the  almost  solid  wall,  thereby  made,  was 


90 


HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 


completed  by  the  shields,  which  were  leaned  against  it  to  fill  in 
any  gaps.  Spear-points  glittered  everywhere,  and  in  front  of  this 
hut,  or  shelter,  there  was  reared  an  archway  of  sticks,  whereof 
the  bark  had  been  cut  up  in  curled  frills  along  the  whole 
length.*  Down  near  the  edge  of  the  water  was  a  pile  of  green 
bamboo  joints  decorated  with  bands  of  plaited  palm  leaf;  in  these 
the  rice  must  be  cooked,  and  not  in  earthen  pots, — possibly  an 
instance  of  the  tendency  in  all  ceremonial  rites  to  return  to  the 
most  primitive  methods. f 

[In  the  accompanying  photograph,  Madong,  the  second  son, 
is  the  well-built  young  fellow  in  the  foreground ;  next  to  him  is 
a  young  warrior  whose  name,  I  think,  is  Jok  ;  then  comes  Abun, 
the  Chief,  with  one  hand  resting  on  his  shield  ;  immediately  on  his 
left  is  Batu,  the  youngest  son ;  and  in  front  of  him  the  elderly 
man,  with  close-cropped  hair  and  upturned  face,  is  the  '  fencing- 
master  .'  At  his  feet  is  the  pile  of  bamboo  joints,  and  near  them 
several  hampers  containing  rolls  of  palm-leaf  matting,  whereon 
the  natives  sleep.  In  the  background  are  the  rows  of  war-coats 
and  shields.  I  was  at  a  disadvantage  in  taking  this  photograph  ; 
the  light  from  the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun  was  poor,  and  the 
support  for  my  camera  was  an  unstable  sand-bank.] 

The  taboo  against  visiting  the  house  did  not  extend  to  Dr. 
Hose  and  myself,  nor  to  Dr.  Hose's  Iban  crew ;  none  of  us 
belonged  to  the  household ;  so  we  left  the  Kayans  at  their  sacred 
encampment,  and  were  soon  settled  for  the  night  amid  all  the 
comforts  the  house  of  Abun  could  afford. 

At  the  very  first  faint  glimmer  of  dawn  I  was  awakened  by 
an  unusual  stir  throughout  the  house.  The  women  and  chil- 
dren and  the  few  men  who  were  so  unfortunate  as  to  have 
been  obliged  to  remain  behind,  were  all  collecting  along  the 
edge  of  the  veranda  below  the  eaves,  whence  they  could  get 
a  view  of  the  river.  Just  at  the  very  instant  that  the  sun  sent 
its  first  shaft  of  level  light  down  the  long  expanse  of  river  we 
heard  coming  from  up-stream,  a  solemn,  low,  deep-toned  chant, 

*  Poles  cut  into  shavings  in  this  manner  have  a  significance  which  even  the 
Bomeans  have  lost  sight  of ;  they  never  could  or  would  give  any  reason  therefor 
except  that  it  was  '  the  custom.' 

t  Dr.  Morris  Jastrow,  Jr.,  Journal  of  Am.  Oriental  Soc,  1900,  xxi.,  p.  30  at 
seq. 


THE    RETURN    FROM    A    HEAD-HUNT. 

THE  CAMP  OF  ABUN'S  FOLLOWERS  ON  THE  EVENING  BEFORE  THE  RETURN 
TO  THEIR  HOUSE  WITH  THE  BORROWED  HEAD,  WHICH  WAS  TO  REMOVE  THE 
RESTRICTIONS    IMPOSED    BY    THE    MOURNING    FOR    A    DEAD    CHIEF. 


A    WAR  EXPEDITION  9 1 

or  rather  humming,  in  harmony.  There  were  no  articulate 
words,  only  a  continuous  sound,  in  different  keys,  from  treble 
to  bass,  of  the  double  vowel  00,  as  in  boom.  A  minute  later 
the  long  hne  of  canoes,  lashed  three  abreast,  slowly  rounded  the 
turn,  and  drifted  toward  the  house.  The  men  were  all  stand- 
ing erect  on  the  thwarts  arrayed  in  all  their  many  coloured  war- 
clothes,  with  bands  of  plaited  palm  leaves  around  their  knees 
and  elbows  and  also  on  every  spear  and  paddle.  Only  a  few  were 
at  the  paddles,  merely  enough  to  steer  the  procession,  while  all 
the  others  stood  as  motionless  as  statues,  holding  their  spears 
upright  and  the  point  of  their  shields  resting  at  their  feet.  On 
and  on  they  slowly  glided,  propelled,  it  almost  seemed,  by  this 
inexpressibly  solemn  dirge,  which  was  wafting  this  sacred  skull 
to  a  home  it  must  for  ever  bless.  The  brilliant  colours  of  the 
war-coats  flashed  brighter  every  minute  as  the  sun  rose  higher, 
and  lit  up  the  framework  of  the  wondrous  pageant ; — the  cloud- 
less blue  sky  over-head,  the  myriad  spangled  ripples  of  the 
glistening  river  beneath  the  dark  masses  of  heavy  foliage,  sug- 
gesting, yet  hiding,  the  ever-mysterious  jungle,  the  hushed,  awe- 
stricken  group  of  women  and  children,  awaiting  the  warriors' 
return,  and  over  all,  the  silence  of  earth  and  sky,  broken  only  by 
the  modulated  cadences  of  that  impressive  harmony.  On,  on,  they 
glided  until  the  three  foremost  canoes  touched  the  bank ;  then  Abun 
alighted  and  unloosed  the  skull,  still  in  its  coverings  of  palm  leaves, 
from  the  bow  of  his  boat.  In  order  to  watch  the  ceremony  more 
narrowly,  I  left  the  veranda  as  the  boats  neared  the  beach,  and 
I  shall  not  soon  forget  Abun's  solemn,  absorbed  demeanour. 
I  could  not  catch  his  eye,  and,  unlike  his  usual  self,  he  took  not 
the  smallest  notice  of  my  presence,  nor  did  any  of  the  others. 
Every  face  wore  the  wrapt  expression  of  a  profoundly  religious 
rite.  Without  intermitting  the  chant,  Abun,  bearing  the  skull, 
led  the  procession  in  single  file  to  the  up-river  end  of  the  house. 
[The  skull  was  now  representing  a  freshly  taken  head,  and  there 
was  no  longer  any  danger  to  those  who  touched  it.]  When  they 
were  all  gathered,  still  chanting,  in  a  close  group,  the  old  '  fencing- 
master  '  stepped  out  to  the  front  with  a  blow-pipe,  and,  looking 
in  the  direction  of  the  Tinjar  River  (still  chanting),  addressed  a 
vehement  warning  to  the  enemy,  and  then  (still  chanting)  raised 
the  blow-pipe  to  his  lips,  and  blew  a  dart  high  in  the  air  to  carry 


92 


HOME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 


the  message  to  them.  The  chanting  instantly  ceased,  and  all 
gave  a  wild,  exultant  shout !  The  skull  was  placed  upon  the 
ground  and  its  wTappings  broken,  and  on  four  stakes  near  by- 
were  placed  the  bleeding  fragments  of  a  chicken  which  the  'fenc- 
ing-master' had  torn  apart  as  if  it  were  a  piece  of  paper.  Each 
warrior,  in  turn,  then  advanced  and  gravely  brandished  his  parang 
over  the  skull,  and,  walking  past  the  four  stakes,  smeared  the 
blood  of  the  chicken  on  his  knees,  and  addressed  the  spirit  of 
the  fowl  in  a  prayer  to  '  protect  him  from  all  dangers,  to  impart 
strength  and  courage,  and  drive  out  all  pains  and  stiffness  from 
his  bones.'  After  they  had  passed  the  last  stake  they  gave  a 
loud,  shrill  shout,  leaped  high  in  the  air,  and  ran  quickly  up 
the  notched  log  into  the  house. 

By  this  ceremony  each  one  cast  off  the  taboo  of  mourning. 
When  all  those  who  had  actually  been  on  the  expedition  had 
performed  it,  then  followed  those  who  had  been  obliged  to  remain 
at  home ;  and  after  them,  the  small  boys,  even  those  who  were 
scarcely  able  to  walk.  Everyone,  without  exception,  must  be 
adorned  with  bands  of  palm-leaf  strips  bound  round  their 
knees  and  elbows,  and  must  be  dressed  in  war-clothes.  The 
small  boys,  however,  wore  only  war-caps,  not  decorated  with 
horn-bill  feathers,  but  with  the  skull  of  a  horn-bill,  or  the  long 
feathers  of  the  Argus  pheasant.  Those  who  were  too  tiny  to 
hold  a  parang  were  carried  by  their  fathers,  and  their  little  hands 
were  guided  while  a  feeble  stroke  was  made  at  the  head.  Between 
their  little  lips  several  grains  of  rice,  boiled  in  a  bamboo  joint, 
were  then  put,  to  symbolize  that  they  too  had  been  in  a  war- 
riors '  camp  and  partaken  of  warriors'  fare.  Then  they  were 
carried  past  the  stakes,  and  smeared  with  the  blood,  while  the 
father  uttered  the  prayer  for  them,  and,  in  place  of  the  leap  and 
manly  shout,  gave  a  bound  in  the  air,  and  an  explosive  exclama- 
tion, before  carrying  them  hurriedly  up  to  the  veranda. 

As  soon  as  every  male  inmate  of  the  house,  from  feeble  age 
to  toddling  infancy,  had  performed  this  rite,  in  a  flash  the  charm 
of  the  taboo  was  snapt !  In  a  twinkling,  every  corner  in  the  house 
seemed  turned  into  a  barber's  chair.  Ever  since  the  death  of 
Oyang  Luhat,  the  late  Chief,  no  hair  had  been  trimmed,  and  long 
locks,  so  unsightly  to  Kayan  eyes,  had  grown  on  the  temples 
of  the  exquisite  youths  and  fastidious  loungers,  who,  before  the 


WAR-CAPS   OF   RATTAN    AND   SPLIT    BAMBOO. 


A    WAR  EXPEDITION 


93 


taboo,  figured  as  the  '  glass  of  fashion,'  as  they  certainly  are 
always  the  '  mould  of  form.'  Turn  and  turn  about  they  scraped 
each  other,  and  when  the  operation  was  finished,  (which,  judging 
from  the  character  of  the  knives,  must  have  been  a  fine  les- 
son in  the  endurance  of  agony,)  each  one  carefully  gathered 
up  the  hair,  and,  rolling  it  in  a  ball,  spit  vigorousl}'  on  it,  and 
threw  it  as  far  as  he  could  out  of  the  veranda.  I  imagine  this 
was  done  with  the  idea  of  preventing  any  one  from  collecting 
the  hair,  and  thereby  working  a  charm  against  the  owner ;  or  it 
may  be  that  spitting  upon  the  hair  exorcises  any  evil  Spirit  lurk- 
ing in  it.  I  asked  many  a  one  why  it  was  done,  but  the  only 
reply  was,  '  Adat  seja  ' — merely  custom. 

[In  connection  with  this  instance  of  a  possible  survival  of 
primitive  religion,  let  me  mention  that  in  this  remote  region  I 
found  an  example  of  another  well-known  ancient  custom : — 
wooden  images  are  fashioned  in  the  likeness  of  an  enemy,  and 
placed  in  the  jungle ;  as  the  wooden  representative  deca}'s  the 
original  sickens  and  dies.*  In  '  The  Free  ^Museum  of  Science  and 
Art,'  in  Philadelphia,  two  of  these  images  are  preserved.  The}- 
represent  Dr.  Hose  and  Tama  Bulan.  They  were  made  by  the 
Lerons  after  the  killing  of  Tinggi,  to  be  revenged  on  these  two 
arch-foes.  They  were  discovered  by  a  friendly  native  and  brought 
to  Dr.  Hose,  whose  image  happily  shows  as  yet  no  sign  of  deca\- ; 
from  the  last  reports  the  original  also  was  in  excellent  health. 
See  next  page.] 

Of  course,  it  is  quite  unbefitting  for  women  to  go  through 
the  rite  of  slashing  at  the  head  ;  they  never  go  on  war  expeditions. 
Therefore,  they  are  freed  from  their  mourning  by  being  sprinkled 
with  water  dipped  from  the  river  in  the  palm  leaves  wherewith 
the  head  has  been  wrapped.  Thereafter  they  resume  their  orna- 
ments of  bead-work,  their  ponderous  brass  ear-rings,  and  don 
fillets  of  gaily  coloured  cloth. 

When  every  member  of  the  household  has  been  freed  from 
the  taboo  by  these  rites,  a  fragment  of  the  skull,  wrapped  in  palm 
leaves,  is  attached  to  a  long  rope  of  bamboo  twigs,  and  solemnl)- 
carried  to  the  gra\'e  of  the  Chief,  which,  in  the  present  case, 
was  about  half  a  mile  down-stream.  In  the  path  which  the 
sons  and  near  relatives  have  to  take  to  reach  the  grave,  a  living 

*  See  The  Golden  Bough,  Frazer,  vol.  i.,  p.  15, 


94 


HO  ME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 


chicken,  with  its  legs  tied,  is  placed,  and  on  it  each  one,  in 
passing,  must  tread,  (the  poor  fowl  does  not  survive  more  than 
two  or  three  footfalls.)  The  fragment  of  skull,  lifted  on  the  tip 
of  a  long  bamboo  pole,  is  hung  to  the  edge  of  the  ornamentation 
on  top  of  the  grave.  When  this  is  finished,  all  that  can  be  pos- 
sibly done  to  honour  a  dead  Borjiean  Chief  has  been  performed. 


Wooden  effigies  of  Dr.  Hose  and  Tama  Bulan,  which  were  left  to  decay  in  the 
jungle,  and  thereby  accomplish  the  death  of  the  originals.     One-half  natural  size. 
I  think  the  one  on  the  left  is  Dr.  Hose. 


At  night,  the  men  who  were  away  in  the  rice-fields,  when  the 
war-party  returned,  attain  their  freedom  by  smearing  with  the 
blood  of  fowls  a  little  piece  of  wood  cut  into  a  brush  of  fine  strips 
at  one  end  ;  this  brush  they  fasten  on  the  side  of  one  of  their  large 
basket-work  fish-traps,  placed  on  the  floor  of  the  veranda,  and 
against  this  ensanguined  brush  they  rub  their  knees,  before  utter- 


GRAVE   OF   OYONG    LUHAT,    THE    FORMER   CHIEF   AT    LONG    LAMA. 

A  PIECE  OF  THE  SKULL  BORROWED  TO  TAKE  THE  PLACE  OF  A  FRESHLY 
TAKEN  HEAD  HAS  BEEN  PLACED  ON  THE  FLAT  ROOF  ABOVE  THE  COFFIN, 
AND  THE  LONG  STREAMER  OF  SHREDDED  PALM  LEAVES  ATTACHED  TO  THIS 
HALLOWED  FRAGMENT  OF  SKULL  STILL  HANGS  FROM  THE  TOP  OF  THE 
GRAVE.  THE  BODY  OF  THE  CHIEF  RESTS  IN  A  COFFIN  HEWN  OUT  OF  A  LOG 
AND  PLACED  HORIZONTALLY  ACROSS  THE  TOP  OF  THE  HIGH  COLUMN.  OVER 
THE  COFFIN  IS  FASTENED  A  LARGE,  SQUARE  SLAB  OF  WOOD,  CUT  FROM  A 
FLAT  BUTTRESS  ROOT  OF  A  TAPANG  TREE.  THE  STICKS  PROJECTING  FROM 
THE  SQUARE  TOP  OF  THE  GRAVE  ARE  STRUNG  WITH  CIGARETTES,  WHICH 
CARRY  MESSAGES  FROM  THOSE  WHO  MADE  THEM  TO  FRIENDS  AND  RELATIVES 
IN    THE     NEXT    WORLD. 


A    WAR  EXPEDITION  95 

ing  their  prayer  and  giving  the  shout  and  the  leap  which  the 
warriors  gave  outside  the  house.  The  fish-trap,  on  this  occa- 
sion, they  call  their  Father;  '  it  catches  everything  it  sees,  and  is 
afraid  of  nothing.' 

All  hours  of  the  next  day  are  devoted  to  a  promiscuous 
slaughter  of  pigs  and  chickens,  and  to  the  preparation  of  a  great 
feast ;  every  one  contributes  a  pig  or  a  fowl,  according  to  his 
means ;  and  on  every  pig's  liver  the  fateful  omens  must  be 
deciphered.  At  intervals,  along  the  whole  length  of  the  inter- 
minable veranda,  are  little  enclosures  wherein  sit  the  shrewd  old 
Dayongs,  whose  exhortations,  before  the  slaughter,  are  potent 
with  the  pigs  to  have  nice,  lucky  livers.  As  each  pig,  with  its 
legs  tied,  is  brought  and  laid  before  the  Dayong  to  be  exhorted 
and  then  killed,  the  owner  pays  the  Dayong  a  small  fee  of  a 
few  beads,  a  strip  of  cloth,  or  the  blade  of  a  parang ;  after  this 
preliminary  fee-giving  (a  custom,  not  unknown  elsewhere),  the 
owner  enters  the  little  enclosure,  and,  seating  himself  beside  a 
large  gong,  proceeds  to  bang  it  with  a  stick,  and  make  as  much 
din  as  possible ;  all  the  while  the  Dayong  lectures  and  exhorts 
the  wretched  pig.  The  owner  while  beating  the  gong  pays 
absolutely  no  attention  to  the  Dayong's  words,  which  may  be 
possibly  etiquette,  but  is  certainly  not  surprising, — not  a  syllable 
could  be  audible  above  the  deafening  squealing,  clattering,  bang- 
ing resounding  on  all  sides.  Very  likely  the  Dayong  desires  to 
have  his  platitudes  overheard  by  no  one  except  by  the  pig,  whose 
attention  to  duty  is  every  now  and  then  enforced  by  a  vigor- 
ous thump  in  the  side  from  the  fist,  or  a  dig  in  the  ribs  from  the 
thumb  of  his  ghostly  exhorter.  When  the  Dayong  thinks  the 
auspicious  moment  has  arrived,  and  that  the  swine  has  caught 
the  drift  of  the  exhortation,  and  has  obligingly  modified  the 
streakings  of  his  livier,  he  plunges  a  knife  in  the  animal's  throat, 
catches  the  spouting  blood  in  a  bowl,  and,  before  life  is  extinct, 
rips  open  the  paunch,  and  extracts  the  dripping  liver,  whereon, 
in  characters  legible  only  to  the  Dayong,  the  pig  had  inscribed 
an  assured  knowledge  of  the  future.  Now  and  then,  an  avari- 
cious Dayong  will  persist  in  reading  dreadful  portents  on  the 
liver ;  of  course,  a  second  pig  must  be  brought,  and  a  second  fee 
paid ;  and  so  on  until  the  Dayong  is  satisfied,  then  at  once  the 
signs  become  good.     On  the  present  occasion  eighty-five  pigs 


96  HOME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

and  sixty  fowls  were  sacrificed.  The  young  boys  who  have  been 
on  the  expedition  are  made  to  feel  that  they  are  to  be  numbered 
among  the  warriors,  by  being  compelled,  on  that  first  evening 
after  their  return  from  the  head-hunt,  to  cook  their  own  supper 
of  pork  and  rice,  and  to  sleep  in  the  veranda  among  the  grown- 
up men. 

The  pork  is  cut  into  small  cubes  and  boiled  in  bamboo  joints  ; 
a  very  pleasant  flavor  is  thereby  imparted  to  the  meat,  if  you 
can  shut  your  eyes  very  tight  to  the  fingers  that  prepare  it. 

After  the  feast  was  cooked  and  served  in  wooden  trays  and 
bowls,  we  all  squatted  here  and  there  about  the  veranda,  and 
helped  ourselves  to  the  toothsome  delicacies  of  parboiled  pork 
and  chicken,  excellent  boiled  rice,  pulverized  salted  fish,  and 
bananas.  Then  dusty  and  musty  cords  were  cut  on  many  a  jar 
of  *  Borak,'  or  sweetened  rice  beer,  and  the  festive  cup,  either  half 
a  cocoanut  or  blue  pressed-glass  tumbler,  was  passed  from  lip  to 
lip.  Speeches  were  made,  in  which  the  invincible  bravery  of  every 
warrior  was  proclaimed,  and  frightful  threats  were  hinted  as  to  the 
fate  of  the  Lerons,  had  they  not  fled  like  the  cowards  that  they 
are.  Festival  songs  and  war-dances,  with  kaluri  accompaniment, 
followed.  When  the  jars  of  Borak  were  drained  to  the  dregs,  one 
by  one  the  exhausted  warriors  crept  to  bed,  saturated  with  the 
serene  joy  of  duty  done,  glory  gained,  and  honour  paid  to  their 
departed  Chief 

Even  after  all  these  ceremonies  and  the  feast,  the  house  is  not 
utterly  free  from  taboo :  for  ten  days  no  work  may  be  done  in 
the  clearings,  nor  may  the  men  go  for  rattans  or  any  jungle 
product.  There  is  always  a  foundation  of  wisdom  for  these 
taboos.  Thus,  to  keep  the  men  collected  in  or  near  the  house 
for  a  number  of  days,  after  a  head-hunting  raid,  is  a  wise  provi- 
sion :  the  house  cannot  be  surprised  unawares  by  a  retaliating 
force. 

Thus  ended  this  memorable  War  Expedition  of  the  Kayans 
and  Kenyahs  of  the  Baram  against  the  Lerons  of  the  Tinjar,  to 
vindicate  Juman  for  the  legal  killing  of  Tinggi  and  drive  the 
Lerons  back  to  their  own  district, — a  typical  expedition,  save 
alone  that  the  Omen  Birds  were  not  consulted,  and  that  it  did 
not  end  in  a  wild  and  wanton  raid  on  innocent  people. 


WAR-COAT   AND   CAP    MADE   OF   THE   SKIN    OF   A    MANIS. 


'JAWA'   OR  PEACE-MAKING 

During  the  rainy  months,  when  all  work  in  the  fields  is 
suspended,  and  Nature  herself  attends  to  the  rice,  every  path  in 
the  jungle  leads  idle  feet  to  mischief,  and,  if  war  be  forbidden 
by  the  Prenta,  pent-up  energy  may  find  a  wild  outlet  in  boist- 
erous protestations  of  peace,  provided  only  that  these  protesta- 
tions have  at  least  a  suggestion  of  war. 

After  our  war  expedition  up  the  Baram  just  narrated,  barely  a 
fortnight  elapsed  before  we  were  organizing  a  great  Peace-making 
with  those  very  people  of  the  Tinjar  who  had  been  our  foes. 
Tama  Bulan,  Tama  Usong,  Aban  Deng,  and  Juman,  the  chiefest 
Chiefs  of  the  Kayans  and  Kenyahs,  with  all  their  numerous 
warriors,  were  eager  to  join  in  the  Peace-making,  and  pledge 
themselves  to  the  Tinjar  people  for  the  friendliness  of  all  the 
dwellers  on  the  Baram  and  its  tributaries. 

Accordingly,  the  Baram  Chiefs  were  summoned  to  the  Fort, 
and  the  day  before  this  great  army  of  peace-makers  set  out.  Dr. 
Hose  invited  these  Chiefs  and  their  adherents  to  a  lavish  feast  at 
his  house.  The  viands  were  prepared  according  to  the  taste  of 
the  guests,  and,  to  make  all  feel  perfectly  at  home,  served  on  the 
floor  of  the  veranda ;  the  arrack,  however,  was  of  extra  Chinese 
brew,  and,  of  course,  superior  and  very  much  stronger  than  the 
diluted,  home-brewed  liquor  to  which  they  were  accustomed. 
Consequently,  the  hilarity  and  fluency  of  song  and  speech,  upon 
a  liberal  and  well-laid  foundation  of  boiled  pork,  chicken,  rice, 
and  salted  fish,  was  exuberant,  but  never  boisterous.  Perhaps 
the  presence  of  so  many  powerful  Chiefs,  above  all,  that  of  the 
all-powerful  Resident,  had  a  restraining  influence.  We  all  sat 
down  (should  I  not  say,  squatted  ?)  at  about  four  in  the  afternoon, 
and  the  last  of  the  guests  departed  to  their  quarters  in  the  Bazaar 
at  about  eleven  o'clock  at  night.  About  fifteen  pounds  of  tobacco 
were  consumed,  three  good-sized  pigs  were  stowed  away,  and  the 
7  97 


98  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

Chinese  shop-keepers  alone  know  how  many  jars  of  arrack  were 
unsealed.  Tama  Bulan  and  Tama  Usong  were  the  last  to  leave 
the  scene  of  revelry,  and  we  watched  (I  must  admit  with  great 
relief)  their  dusky  figures  disappear  down  the  path,  as,  linked 
arm  in  arm,  they  meandered  off  in  the  broad  moonlight  toward 
the  Bazaar. 

Juman,  for  the  second  time  the  important  member  of  an 
expedition,  failed  to  appear,  and  since  it  was  partly  on  his  account 
that  the  trouble  between  the  people  of  the  two  rivers  had  arisen, 
the  Peace-making  would  be  incomplete  without  him.  In  Borneo, 
after  past  wrongs,  peace  and  good-fellowship  cannot  be  gained 
by  simple  asseverations ;  there  must  be  always  a  palpable 
exchange  of  beads,  highly  prized  jars,  brass  gongs,  etc.,  as  an 
indemnity.  The  perpetrator  of  the  wrong,  or  one  of  his  descend- 
ants, must  be  present  with  his  adherents  to  join  in  the  sham  fight, 
known  as  the  'Jawa.'  The  canoes  of  the  peace-party  were  laden 
accordingly  with  articles  for  exchange,  and  with  the  paraphernalia 
of  the  men  who  were  to  engage  in  the  sham  fight. 

At  an  early  hour  on  the  morning  after  the  feast,  we  started 
up-river  in  the  Government's  steam  launch,  for  which  the  river 
is  navigable  for  at  least  sixty  miles  above  the  Fort ;  behind  us 
trailed  the  long  line  of  canoes  with  the  peace-makers, — a  pretty 
woe-begone,  head-achey  looking  lot,  after  the  Chinese  arrack  of 
the  night  before.  As  the  day  wore  on  and  we  steamed  slowly  up 
against  the  strong  current,  dodging  the  ponderous  logs  that 
swept  past,  one  by  one  the  Chiefs  climbed  up  from  their  canoes 
and  sat  limp  and  taciturn  around  us  on  the  small  deck  of 
the  steamer.  Still  no  sign  of  Juman  and  his  party.  We  had 
expected  to  meet  him  before  we  turned  off  into  the  Tinjar  River, 
So  necessary  a  personage  could  not  be  left  behind ;  therefore,  a 
letter  was  left  for  him  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tinjar,  On  a  large 
sheet  of  paper,  we  painted  a  picture  of  a  steam  boat  heading  up- 
stream with  inky  volumes  of  smoke  issuing  from  the  funnel  and 
a  long  line  of  canoes  in  tow;  underneath  was  a  gigantic  hand 
pointing  up-stream.  This  letter  was  fastened  in  a  cleft  pole  stuck 
up  on  the  bank;  then  we  steamed  at  full  speed  up  the  large 
tributary. 

A  lovely  feature  peculiar  to  the  Tinjar  River  is  the  hills  culti- 
vated with  rice.     On  the  lower  reaches  of  the  Baram,  the  flat, 


A  CHARM  AGAINST  FEVER. 

THE  BARRIER  AND  CHARMS  DEVISED  BY  THE  DAYONG  TO  WARD  OFF 
EVIL  SPIRITS  FROM  THE  HOUSE  OF  THE  LELAK  CLAN,  AND  TO  DRIVE  AWAY 
THE  DEMONS  WHO  WERE  ALREADY  AFFLICTING  THE  HEAD-MAN  OF  THE 
HOUSE  WITH  FEVER  AND  TRYING  TO  LURE  THE  SOUL  OUT  OF  HIS  BODY. 


'JAWA'   OR  PEACE-MAKING  gt^ 

swampy  ground  extends  for  a  mile  or  more  from  the  river  on 
both  sides.  Here,  clearings  extend  over  low  undulating  hills, 
and  at  this  season  of  the  year  the  rice  was  already  six  inches 
tall,  and  its  tender  emerald  green  was  unspeakably  refreshing 
after  the  dark  foliage  of  the  jungle.  Twice  we  passed  groups 
of  men  and  women  busily  weeding  the  fields  ;  but,  poor  wretches, 
as  if  their  toil  were  not  enough,  they  must  all  needs  be  clad  in 
heavy  war-cloaks ;  they  had  heard,  so  they  said,  that  there  was 
an  enormous  head-hunting  army  on  the  way  from  the  Baram,  and 
they  were  in  hourly  terror  of  being  attacked  and  killed.  We 
allayed  their  fears,  and  were  delighted  to  learn  that  the  fame  of 
our  War  Expedition  had  travelled  so  bravely  and  had  lost  noth- 
ing in  transmission. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  we  reached  the  household  of  the 
Lelaks,  and  halted  for  the  night,  to  allow  Juman  to  catch  up 
with  us.  The  old  man  of  the  house,  whose  adherents  were  not 
numerous  enough  to  entitle  him  to  the  rank  of  a  '  Penghulu,'  and 
whose  wealth  was  insufficient  for  the  title  of  '  Orang  Kaya  '  {Rich 
Mail),  merely  presided  over  his  household  by  reason  of  his  age, 
and  was  known  simply  as  the  '  Orang  Tuah  '  {Old  Man).  On 
our  arrival,  we  were  told  that  he  was  almost  at  death's  door 
from  an  attack  of  fever,  and  that  every  resource  known  to 
Dayong  art  had  been  tried  in  vain ;  evidently,  the  evil  Spirits 
had  resolved  to  entice  his  soul  away,  in  spite  of  the  elaborate 
barrier  which  the  Dayongs  had  professionally  erected  in  front 
of  his  house. 

This  barrier  consisted  of  a  circle  of  stakes  cut,  at  inter- 
vals down  their  sides,  into  curled  shavings ;  in  the  centre  of 
the  circle  stood  a  high,  squared  pole  painted  with  stripes  of  red 
and  black  ;  at  about  four  feet  from  the  ground,  and  again  near 
its  top,  were  cross-bars  piercing  it  from  front  to  back  and  from 
side  to  side.  At  its  base  stood  an  earthen  jar  filled  with  water, 
and  round  about  outside  the  circle  was  a  bristling  thicket  or  sort 
of  cJievaiix  de  frisc  of  posts  and  stakes  cut  into  manifold  fringes 
of  shavings,  and  several  cleft  sticks  about  three  feet  high,  hold- 
ing in  the  cleft  an  &%^.  To  the  Dayongs,  these  curled  shavings 
and  cleft  sticks  have  a  profound  meaning  which  they  either  did 
not  know  or  did  not  wish  to  divulge.  All  these  prophylactics  were, 
however,  in  vain ;  the  evil  Spirits  obstinately  and  perversely  re- 


lOO  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

fused  to  depart  from  the  old  man.  Not  being  an  angel,  I  pressed 
fearlessly  within  this  charmed  ground,  and  even  took  photographs 
there  in  spite  of  Tama  Bulan's  solemn  warning.  He  would  not 
go  near  the  barrier,  and  in  awed  tones  warned  me  that  just  as  sure 
as  I  touched  any  of  those  stakes  I  would  have  horrid  dreams 
and  most  assuredly  be  clutched  by  a  ghost  and  hideously  scarred 
for  life ;  should  the  ghost  chance  to  clutch  me  by  the  throat,  I 
would  choke  to  death  and  never  wake.* 

After  I  had  taken  the  photograph,  we  paid  a  visit  to  the  old 
man  as  he  lay  feverishly  tossing  and  turning  on  his  hard  board 
bed.  I  administered  to  him  a  placebo  in  the  form  of  an  assur- 
ance that  I  had  skilfully  caught  and  imprisoned  the  evil  Spirits 
in  my  '  box-with-an-eye '  [my  camera),  and  they  would  trouble 
him  no  more ;  then,  abandoning  the  '  faith  cure,'  I  adminis- 
tered a  generous  dose  of  quinine. 

The  Lelaks  are  an  unusually  industrious  household ;  they  cul- 
tivate an  abundance  of  rice  and  keep  it  stored  for  rainy  days,  in 
granaries  which,  although  they  are  far  away  from  their  dwellings 
and  hidden  in  the  jungle,  they  decorate  with  graceful  designs  in 
black  paint  upon  a  white  ground.  In  their  houses,  also,  almost 
every  beam-end  is  carved  into  barbaric  figures  of  men  or  of 
monkeys  in  twisted  positions  with  arms  and  legs  interlacing ; 
also  many  of  the  upright  posts  supporting  the  roof  have  carved 
in  them  deep  niches  to  serve  as  seats. 

In  the  evening,  under  the  benign  effects  of  a  hearty  meal  of 
rice  and  fish  and  of  numerous  cigarettes,  Tama  Bulan  became 
jovial,  and  his  broad,  genial  smile  beamed  to  right  and  left  on 
all  as  he  sat  with  his  back  against  one  of  the  carved  house-posts, 
and  proposed  that  we  the  guests  should  be  entertained  with  some 
of  the  dances  for  which  the  Lelak  women  are  famous.  Of  course, 
the  women  were  coquettishly  shy  at  first  and  scurried  off  to  their 
rooms.  Tama  Bulan  was  not,  however,  to  be  thus  put  off  or  put 
down,  but  appealed  to  the  Orang  Tuah  to  send  searching  parties 
for  the  best  dancers.  Then  he  turned  to  Dr.  Hose,  and,  in  a 
metaphor  of  which  he  was  fond,  said,  chuckling,  *  Tuan,  this 
fishing  doesn't  seem  to  be  very  successful ;  all  the  good,  plump 
fish  have  gone  up-stream,  and  left  us  nothing  but  these  bony 
ones;'  here  he  nodded  toward  some  old  and  thin  beldames, 
*  See  page  54  and  photograph. 


DECORATED   STORE    HOUSE    FOR    RICE. 

THE    PLANT    GROWING    DENSELY    AROUND    IT,    IS    WILD    TAPIOCA. 


'J-AWA'    OR  PEACE-MAKING  1 01 

calling  them  by  the  names  of  the  poorer  kinds  of  fish  which 
generally  are  thrown  away;  but  when,  a  few  moments  later, 
three  young  girls,  dressed  in  their  best  skirts  and  with  bright- 
coloured  fillets  round  their  heads,  shuffled  coyly  out  from  their 
rooms  ready  for  the  dance,  he  lit  a  fresh  cigarette  and  settled 
back  comfortably  in  his  seat,  saying,  'Aha!  Here  are  plump  fish 
worth  looking  at.' 

The  dance  was  like  that  of  almost  all  of  the  Malay  and  allied 
races,  more  waving  of  the  arms  and  swaying  of  the  body  than 
movements  of  the  feet.  It  was  exceedingly  like  the  dances  of  the 
Javanese,  wherein  movements  of  hands  and  wrists  are  the  chief 
features.  It  appeared  to  be  a  solemn  performance;  instead  of 
the  fixed,  mechanical  smile  of  our  ballet  dancers,  there  was  a 
stare  of  constrained  solemnity  verging  on  a  scowl. 

The  effect  on  the  dancers  themselves  was  marked;  demure 
as  were  their  motions,  their  excitement  was  great.  One  of  them 
suddenly  ceased  and,  leaning  against  the  wall,  declared  that  she 
was  exhausted  with  the  strain.  Although  the  movements  of  the 
dance  had  been  slow  and  gentle,  she  was  undeniably  almost 
in  an  ecstatic  trance,  with  eyes  half  closed  and  breathing 
labored. 

Very  different  were  the  Kayan  dances  which  followed;  the 
men  vied  with  each  other  in  wild  leaps  and  shouts,  springing 
high  in  the  air  and  coming  down  on  their  knees,  all  the  while 
battling  with  imaginary  foes ;  slashing  with  their  parang  and 
waving  their  shield  in  rhythmical  time  to  the  drone  of  the 
kaluri. 

Our  hand-clapping  by  way  of  applause  caused  great  laughter 
and  astonishment,  and  the  ever-present  small  boys  imitated  it  in 
high  glee.  Their  only  fashion  of  showing  approval  or  wonder 
is  by  a  loud  cluck  with  the  tongue.  Once  on  a  time,  when  we 
happened  to  stop  at  a  house  which,  during  the  selection  of  a 
rice-field,  was  under  a  *  lali '  or  restriction,  (no  stranger  may  then 
enter  and  no  inmate  leave  it,)  Dr.  Hiller  and  myself  were  urgently 
requested  to  pace  up  and  down  in  front  of  the  house,  after  we 
had  stripped  ourselves  to  the  waist,  so  that  the  inmates  might 
have  the  privilege  of  seeing  our  Japanese  tattooing.  They  had 
all  gathered  in  a  row  behind  the  railing  of  the  veranda,  and  as 
we  passed  along  below,  the  succession  of  explosive  clucks  of 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CAIJFOHNTX 
SANTA  BARBARA 


I02  HO  ME- LIFE   OF  BORNEO   HEAD-HUNTERS 

unbounded  admiration  sounded  like  musketry  in  the  distance. 
Eagerness  to  see  our  tattooing  broke  down  for  us  many  a  barrier. 
Although  the  Borneans  themselves  are  masters  in  the  art,  never- 
theless they  use  but  one  colour,  and  could  not  believe  that  the 
variegated  Japanese  designs  were  not  painted,  instead  of  pricked 
in.  Many  a  time  this  incredulity  proved  a  sore  trial,  by  subject- 
ing us  to  vigorous  attempts  at  rubbing  off  the  colour  with  a  dirty 
thumb,  well  moistened  on  the  tongue.  Here  also  at  the  Lelak 
house,  at  Tama  Bulan's  urgent  request,  I  stripped  to  the  waist^ 
and  the  sight  of  Hori  Chiyo's  best  handiwork  on  my  back  so 
inspired  one  elderly  woman,  that,  after  the  chorus  of  clucks  had 
subsided,  she  burst  into  song,  which,  being  in  the  Lelak  dialect, 
I  was  unable  to  understand,  but  was  assured  it  was  extremely 
complimentary. 

The  guest  chambers  in  a  Lelak  house  are  boxes  about  five 
feet  square,  suspended  from  the  roof,  and  to  which  access  can 
be  gained  only  by  a  ladder.  Possibly,  this  is  for  the  comfort  of 
the  guest ;  possibly,  it  is  in  order  that  he  may  not  have  too  much 
liberty.  We  preferred,  however,  the  floor  of  the  veranda,  but 
before  morning  I  realized  the  error ;  three  times  was  I  awakened 
by  an  incubus  of  a  dog  curling  himself  up  for  sleep  on  my 
chest. 

Late  in  the  night,  the  whole  house  was  aroused  by  the  arrival 
of  Juman  and  his  adherents ;  he  had  read  our  letter  and  made 
the  best  time  he  could  against  the  strong  current.  The  expedi- 
tion was  now  complete,  and  the  following  morning  we  abandoned 
the  steamer  and  started  off  in  canoes. 

The  Orang  Tuah  of  the  Lelaks  maintained  that  my  box-with- 
one-eye  was  better  than  all  the  Dayongs,  and  that  of  a  surety  I 
had  effectively  captured  the  evil  Spirits ;  he  was  so  much  better 
that  he  insisted  on  going  along  with  us.  I  must  acknowledge 
I  was  none  too  well  pleased  with  his  determination  ;  he  was  ex- 
ceedingly feeble,  and  should  he  die  the  blame  would  be  surely 
imputed  to  me. 

Continuously  along  our  route  the  numbers  of  the  peace- 
makers were  augmented  by  boat-loads  from  the  houses  that  we 
passed,  all  anxious  to  join  in  the  feasting  which  took  place 
wherever  we  halted,  and  all  wanted  to  be  present  at  the  final 
grand  ratification  in  the  house  of  Tama  Aping  Buling  at  the 


"yAWA'    OR  PEACE-MAKING  IO3 

head- waters,  where   Kilup  and  Juman,  bitter  enemies,  were   to 
meet,  and  be  reconciled. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  during  a  terrific  thunder-storm,  we 
arrived  at  Tama  Liri's  house,  and  although  he  is  a  Penghulu  of 
importance,  his  house  is  a  disgrace  and  he  himself  a  troublesome 
thorn  to  the  Sarawak  Government.  In  the  first  place,  there  was 
no  notched  log  whereby  to  cross  the  wide  stretch  of  muddy 
bank  ;  to  get  to  the  house  we  should  have  been  compelled  to 
wade  through  mud  knee-deep,  had  not  the  Kayans  and  Kenyahs 
in  our  party  devoted  themselves  energetically  to  showing  the 
Berawans  what  could  be  done  in  the  way  of  rapid  work.  In 
pelting  sheets  of  rain  and  deafening  peals  of  thunder  they 
dragged  forth  a  great  fallen  tree-trunk  and  cut  notches  in  it. 
The  Chief  and  his  people,  meanwhile,  who  ought  to  have  been 
helping,  sat  at  their  ease  up  in  the  house  and  looked  down  uncon- 
cernedly. In  the  second  place,  Tama  Liri's  house  is  built  upon 
such  ramshackle  poles  that  they  could  not  support  the  weight  of 
boards,  and,  consequently,  the  flooring  is  of  bamboo  strips,  and  in 
places  so  weak  that  all  were  afraid  that  the  whole  flimsy  structure 
would  tumble  about  their  ears.  The  Baram  folk  were  by  no 
means  in  a  good  temper  when  at  last  they  gained  the  shelter  of 
Tama  Liri's  veranda.  In  the  evening  all  the  Chiefs  took  a  mali- 
cious pleasure  in  telling  their  host  what  a  miserable  shanty  he 
had  instead  of  a  house,  and  expressing  the  hope  that  by  the  time 
they  revisited  him  he  would  have  built  a  new  one.  In  the  midst 
of  these  vivacious  observations,  which  did  not  seem,  in  the  least, 
to  disturb  our  stolid  host,  Tama  Usong  begged  me  to  lend  him 
my  box  of  matches ;  on  receiving  it  he  passed  it  over  to  Tama 
Liri  with  the  suave  remark,  '  Here,  Blood-brother,  are  some 
posts  for  your  house  ;  they  are  better  than  those  you  have,  and 
you  can  buy  more  in  the  Bazaar,  very  cheap.'  All  the  Baram 
people,  and  even  some  of  Tama  Liri's  own  followers,  snorted  and 
laughed  at  this  stroke  of  wit,  but  the  host  adroitly  diverted  their 
thoughts  by  instantly  expatiating  on  the  pig,  six  spans  long ! 
which  Aban  Liah  (not  he  himself,  but  his  neighbor  Aban  Liah) 
was  going  to  kill  for  the  feast  when  we  arrived  at  his  house. 
Tama  Liri  added  that  it  would  have  been  better,  of  course,  if  it 
were  eight  spans  long ;  this  would  have  been  the  kind  he  would 
kill  were  he  giving  a  feast.     Tama  Bulan  was  not  in  as  good 


104  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

spirits  as  on  the  preceding  evening.  He  was  depressed  by  the 
illness  of  his  nephew,  Wan,  who  had  been  ailing  ever  since  reach- 
ing the  Baram  Fort,  and  now,  from  exposure  in  the  heavy  rain 
during  an  attack  of  fever,  was  in  the  first  stage  of  pneumonia  and 
verging  on  delirium.  Tama  Bulan  begged  me  to  give  him  some 
medicine  ;  but  remembering  the  disagreeable  time  that  I  had  in  his 
own  house,  in  consequence  of  the  death  of  an  inmate,  I  demurred, 
preferring  to  shift  the  responsibility  on  the  Dayongs  and  the 
livers  of  pigs  and  entrails  of  chickens. 

Tama  Bulan  assured  me,  however,  that  he  had  absolute  con- 
fidence in  my  medicine,  and  always  had,  even  at  the  time  of 
Lueng's  death,  when  her  brother,  who  thought  we  had  poisoned 
her,  wanted  to  kill  Dr.  Hiller  and  myself  '  Besides,'  he  added, 
'  it  will  be  so  inconvenient  to  have  Wan  die  in  the  house  of  Tama 
Liri ;  of  all  men,  he  will  be  the  very  one  to  demand  immense 
compensation  for  the  ill-luck  brought  on  his  miserable  old 
house.'  Thereupon,  I  did  all  in  my  power  for  the  boy ;  but  in 
the  morning,  when  the  time  came  to  leave,  he  was  only  a  very 
little  better,  and  it  would  have  been  highly  dangerous  to  move  him 
down  to  the  boats.  With  great  regret  we  were  obliged  to  leave 
behind  the  dear  old  Kenyah  Chief  to  take  care  of  his  good-for- 
nothing  nephew.  We  had  depended  upon  Tama  Bulan  to  make 
the  peace-ceremonies  go  off  smoothly,  and  in  strict  adherence  to 
Borneo  customs.  Wan's  father,  a  half-brother  of  Tama  Bulan, 
was  continually  making  trouble  between  the  Kenyahs  and  the 
Sarawak  Government,  until  Dr.  Hose  one  day  obtained  possession 
of  an  invaluable  charm  of  his,  consisting  of  a  small  mis-shapen 
hen's  Qg'g,  whereon  he  based  all  his  good  luck.  Only  by  the 
ever-present  threat  that  his  &g<g  would  be  broken  by  Dr. 
Hose  at  the  least  sign  of  treason  on  his  part,  can  he  be  con- 
trolled and  kept  peaceable,  even,  I  believe,  to  this  hour.  Owing 
to  the  sins  of  the  father,  I  was  not  quite  so  compassionate  as  I 
might  have  been,  for  this  handsome  but  arrogant  youth,  who 
was  now  the  cause  of  our  losing  the  assistance  of  Tama  Bulan. 
I  left  my  watch  with  the  dutiful  old  uncle,  and  exact  diagrams 
of  the  positions  of  its  hands  when  the  medicines  were  to  be 
given.  Our  next  stage  was  to  be  but  a  short  one :  if  Wan 
were  better  on  the  following  day,  Tama  Bulan  could  catch  up 
with  us  ;  if  he  were  worse,  my  advice  was  that  he  should  be 


RIVER   BANK    IN    FRONT   OF   A    LONG-HOUSE. 


'JAWA'   OR  PEA CE-MAKING  i05 

moved  to  the  boats  carefully  and  an  attempt  made  to  get  him 
home.  Tama  Bulan  said  he  would  much  rather  have  him  die  in 
the  canoe  than  in  Tama  Liri's  house.  Judging  by  the  general 
lack  of  recuperative  power  in  the  Borneo  people  when  they  are 
seriously  ill,  and  by  the  small  probability  that  my  instructions 
would  be  strictly  obeyed,  I  thought  Wan  was  doomed,  and  so 
expressed  myself  to  Tama  Bulan,  with  the  hope,  at  the  same  time, 
that  the  medicine  would  be  efficacious. 

Joined  by  Tama  Liri  and  a  number  of  his  adherents,  we  set 
out  for  the  house  of  Aban  Avit ;  Tama  Bulan  dolefully  and  re- 
gretfully bade  us  good-bye,  wishing  us  '  Salamat  jalan ' — a  lucky 
journey. 

Aban  Avit,  also  a  Berawan,  proved  to  be  as  much  a  credit  to 
the  tribe  as  Tama  Liri  is  a  disgrace ;  his  house  is  strongly  built, 
well  floored,  well  roofed  with  iron-wood  shingles,  decorated  here 
and  there  with  carvings,  and,  around  doors  and  along  partition 
walls,  ornamented  with  borders  of  loops  and  circles  and  dots 
painted  in  black  and  white  by  the  Chief's  own  hand.  (Elsewhere 
I  have  described  the  house  with  some  minuteness.) 

No  longer  under  Tama  Bulan's  influence,  the  other  Kayan 
Chiefs  began  to  behave  in  a  foolish  and  stubborn  manner. 

Tama  Usong  flatly  refused  to  come  up  to  the  house  because 
he  disliked  Aban  Avit,  and  sulked  in  his  boat  on  the  other  side 
of  the  river,  preferring  to  endure  torrents  of  rain  at  night 
rather  than  forget  old  scores  until  the  very  hour  of  the  grand 
ratification  of  peace  and  amity  at  Tama  Aping  Buling's.  His 
absence,  however,  was  not  felt ;  the  house  was  full  of  strangers ; 
an  old,  sad-faced  Chief,  named  Laki  Jok  Orong,  had  arrived  only 
the  day  before,  from  the  Rejang,  and  was  on  his  way  to  the 
Baram,  whither  he  was  escorting  a  middle-aged  woman  who 
three  years  previously  had  been  abducted  from  her  home,  and 
ever  since  held  captive  in  a  Rejang  River  house.  Curiously 
enough.  Dr.  Kiikenthal,  on  a  visit  to  the  lower  Baram,  had  hap- 
pened to  photograph  this  very  woman  before  her  abduction,*  and 
had  sent  a  copy  of  the  portrait  to  her  family.  Having  discovered 
the  house  wherein  the  woman  was  detained,  some  of  her  friends 
set  out  to  obtain   her  release.     By  means  of  this  photograph, 

*  Dr.  Willy  Kukenthal,  Forschungsreise  in  den  Molnkken  und  in  Borneo, 
1896,  Tafel  42. 


I06  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

which  they  took  with  them,  they  were  enabled  to  establish  her 
identity  beyond  dispute,  and  brought  her  away.  The  features 
in  the  photograph  were  still  recognisable,  even  under  a  thick 
coating  of  finger-marks.  The  woman  herself  now  had  possession 
of  it,  and,  proudly  unwrapping  it  from  its  many  coverings  of  dirty 
cotton  cloth  and  dried  palm  leaves,  passed  it  round  the  circle. 

Laki  Jok  Orong  had  a  sad  tale  to  tell  of  the  oppression  of 
his  people  by  one  Owang  Taha,  a  half-breed  Malay,  and  a  sub- 
Resident  for  the  Government,  in  the  upper  Rejang  River.  When 
he  once  got  fairly  started,  he  kept  up  the  screed  in  a  whining, 
lugubrious  monotone  that  droned  on  and  on  till  his  audience,  by 
desertions  and  by  new  arrivals,  was  changed  several  times,  and  at 
last  engaged  in  general  conversation ;  but  none  the  less,  the 
droning  plaint  of  the  Rejang  Chief  still  went  on  and  on.  The 
seven  or  eight  long,  straggling  hairs  which  he  suffered  to  grow 
on  his  lip,  above  the  right  corner  of  his  mouth  waggled  and 
waved,  and  in  his  ears  the  ornaments,  carved  out  of  a  horn-bill's 
crest  to  represent  tiger-cat's  teeth,  alternately  pointed  up  and 
down  as  he  dolefully  shook  his  head  over  the  never-ending 
rehearsal  of  his  wrongs.  I  retired  to  my  dark-tent,  developed  a 
dozen  or  more  negatives,  packed  away  all  my  trays  and  chemi- 
cals, and  then  when  I  rejoined  the  circle  around  the  fire  in  the 
veranda,  still  from  the  outer  edge  of  darkness  quavered  Jok 
Orong's  voice  as  persistent  as  ever, — and  as  unheeded. 

Early  in  the  next  forenoon,  Tama  Bulan  and  six  of  his  best 
paddlers  came  swiftly  up-stream  to  tell  us  that  Wan  was  much 
better,  but  that  they  had  decided  to  take  him  home  with  all  speed. 
Of  course,  that  Tama  Bulan  should  turn  round  and  immediately 
go  back  to  Tama  Liri's  was  not  for  a  moment  to  be  thought  of, 
and,  although  it  was  early  in  the  day,  jars  of  arrack  were 
brought  out,  and  the  sullen  Tama  Usong  and  Juman,  persuaded 
thereto  by  Tama  Bulan,  joined  us  in  the  veranda,  and  the 
unwearied  Laki  Jok  Orong  seized  a  fresh  opportunity  to  indulge 
in  the  luxury  of  woe,  and  to  begin,  and  continue  the  recital  of 
innumerable  wrongs.  The  etiquette  in  drinking  toasts  is  the 
reverse  of  ours  ;  with  us,  he  who  is  toasted  remains  seated, 
generally  with  a  sickly,  self-conscious  smile,  while  all  the  others 
rise  and  drink  to  him.  In  Borneo,  however,  the  toast  is  the  only 
one  who  rises  and  is  the  only  one  to  drink,  and  he  must  leave 


SOME   CANOES   OF   THE    PEACE-PARTY   IN   A   QUIET    REACH 
BETWEEN     RAPIDS. 


'JAWA'   OR  PEACE-MAKING  \oy 

no  heel-taps  ;  it  is  the  company  who  remain  seated,  and  break 
into  a  deafening  humming  and  oo-oo-mg,  which  are  kept  up 
until  the  last  drop  is  drained.  Possibly,  the  custom  arises  from 
the  fact  that  there  are  rarely  cups  enough  to  go  round,  and  one 
sticky,  begrimed,  glass  tumbler,  or  else  a  carved  bamboo  cup, 
(rarely  used  now-a-days,)  must  perforce  pass  from  lip  to  lip. 
That  there  had  been  such  things  as  bamboo  drinking-cups,  we 
discovered  by  mere  accident  from  a  song,  commonly  sung  at 
these  feasts,  which  runs  : — '  I  offer  to  you  the  glittering  cup,  I  offer 
to  you  the  bamboo  cup.'     The  words  have  a  jingling  rhythm  : — 

Akui  mejee  tebok  klingee 
Ara  \vi  wi  ara 
Aku  meju  tebok  bulu 
Ara  wi  wi  ara. 

Never  having  seen  in  use,  as  cups,  aught  else  but  pressed- 
glass  tumblers  or  cocoanut  shells,  we  asked  what  was  meant  by 
'  tebok  bulu,'  and,  by  way  of  answer,  a  rummage  began  among 
the  old  mats  and  baskets  piled  on  the  rafters ;  whereupon, 
several  bamboo  cups  were  found,  coated  with  dust  and  soot. 
They  were  carved  into  a  sort  of  lip  like  a  pitcher  on  the 
upper  edge,  and  on  the  sides  were  decorated  with  engraved 
scrolls,  bands,  and  circles.  Tama  Bulan  was  delighted  to  see  them, 
and  said  he  remembered  well  when  there  was  no  other  kind  of 
cup  than  the  tebok  bulu.  He  insisted  that  one  should  be 
washed  out  immediately  and  put  to  use,  inasmuch  as  arrack 
always  tasted  far  better  from  the  bamboo.  To  Jok  Orong,  being 
a  guest  from  afar,  was  accorded  the  honor  of  the  first  drink,  and 
the  oo-oo-mg  was  so  thunderous  that  in  his  nervousness  most  of 
the  arrack  trickled  down  where  his  shirt  front  might  have  been. 
Then  came  Tama  Bulan's  turn,  and  without  the  wink  of  an 
eyelid  he  drained  the  cup,  and  then  gave  a  cleanly  wipe  round  his 
mouth  with  the  long,  dangling  end  of  his  waist-cloth.  So  the 
flowing  bowl  passed  round ;  one  after  another  the  Chiefs  were 
toasted  and  oo-oo-ed,  and  Jok  Orong's  perpetual-motion  tongue 
was  again  set  free,  but  instead  of  recapitulating  his  endless 
wrongs,  he  now  divulged,  for  the  first  time,  the  true  object  of  his 
visit.  Having  first  privately  conferred  with  Tama  Bulan  and 
obtained  the  latter's  hearty  approval  of  his  purpose,  he  formally 
announced  to  the  whole  company  that  he  was  on  his  way  to  the 


io8 


HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 


Baram  Fort  to  convey  to  Dr.  Hose,  whom  he  now  unexpectedly 
met  on  the  road,  the  earnest  wishes  of  the  people  of  the  Batang 
Kayan  River,  in  Dutch  Borneo,  to  emigrate  to  the  Baram  district, 
and  place  themselves  under  the  protecting  Government  of  Rajah 
Brooke.  It  was  the  very  thing  that  Dr.  Hose  had  been  hoping 
to  hear  for  some  time  past.     It  was  especially  fortunate  that  Tama 


'  Tebok  Bulu,' — Bamboo  Drinking-cup. 


Bulan  happened  to  be  on  hand,  and  could  give  his  weighty 
assurances  that  the  immigrants  would  meet  with  cordial  welcome. 
As  a  tangible  proof  of  the  friendship  of  the  Kayans  and  Kenyahs 
of  the  Baram,  a  large  bundle  of  presents  was  made  up  for  Jok 
Orong  to  carry  back  with  him.  Tama  Bulan  purchased  at  once 
from   Aban  Avit  two  large  brass  gongs  as  his  contribution,  (a 


RIVER   SCENE   IN   THE    HEART   OF   BORNEO. 


'JAWA'   OR  PEACE-MAKING  IO9 

really  lavish  present ;)  Aban  Avit  sent  a  highly  prized  clay  jar ; 
Tama  Usong  and  Juman  contributed  parangs  and  spear-heads, 
and  Dr.  Hose  sent  a  bolt  of  white  cotton  cloth,  three  bolts 
of  Turkey  red,  a  bottle  of  Scotch  whiskey,  and,  with  his  usual 
happy  tact,  a  bundle  of  candles ;  these,  he  explained  to  Jok 
Orong,  were  to  light  the  footsteps  of  the  new  comers  and 
guide  them  to  a  land  of  ease  and  plenty, — a  gift  and  a  message 
exactly  in  accord  with  their  own  sentimental  symbolism  ;  and  six 
months  later,  when  a  large  number  of  these  Batang  Kayan  people 
did  move  over  to  the  Baram,  the  Chiefs  all  came  to  Dr.  Hose 
and  laid  these  candles  before  him  in  the  court-room  of  the  Fort. 
When  the  arrack  was  getting  low  and  the  lament  of  Jok 
Orong  was  beginning  afresh,  Tama  Bulan  arose  to  take  his  leave. 
All  the  people  of  the  house,  even  the  women  and  children, 
marched  out  in  single  file  and  took  their  places  on  the  plank 
walk  leading  to  the  river-bank,  and  even  on  the  notched  log  at 
the  very  edge  of  the  water.  As  the  brave  old  Kenyah  Chief's 
canoe  swung  out,  all  those  who  stood  on  the  shore  waved  their 
large  disc-like  hats,  shouting  farewells  and  wishes  for  his  safe 
journey  home.  He  leaned  far  out  from  under  the  palm-leaf 
screen  of  his  canoe,  and  with  a  broad  smile,  revealing  a  gleam 
of  his  shining  black  teeth,  waved  his  hat  and  shouted  success 
to  the  Great  Peace-party ;  the  swift  current  caught  his  boat,  and 
it  dashed  out  of"  sight  round  the  turn  of  the  river.  There  is 
unquestionably  an  unusual  personal  force  in  this  middle-aged 
Kenyah  Chief's  character  ;  not  a  tribe  that  does  not  respect  his 
name  and  speak  of  him  with  admiration  mingled  almost  with 
reverence.  In  my  book  of  photographs,  which  I  carried  about 
with  me  to  overcome  the  objections  of  timid  souls  to  having  their 
portraits  taken,  Tama  Bulan's  portrait  soon  became  framed  with 
a  black  margin  of  thumb-marks,  and  his  features  much  dimmed 
by  constant  fingering, — the  natives  are  never  content  simply  to 
look  at  a  portrait,  but  always  insist  on  passing  their  hands  over 
it ;  in  landscapes,  no  matter  how  familiar  the  scene,  they  take  no 
interest  whatever.  Tama  Bulan's  influence  cannot  be  attributed 
to  fierce  looks ;  his  expression  is,  on  the  contrary,  gentle  and 
benign  ;  nor  is  his  presence  commanding,  but  yet,  when  he  once 
gives  an  order  or  pronounces  judgement,  there  seems  to  be  no 
thought  of  disobedience  or  of  appeal.     Certainly,  he   has   one 


no  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

characteristic:  keenness;  we  once  asked  him  if  he  knew  what 
was  meant  when,  in  talking  Enghsh  among  ourselves,  we  said 
'  T.  B.'  (his  initials)  ;  he  at  once  repHed,  '  I  think,  Tuan,  you  are, 
probably,  talking  about  me.'  We  were  led  to  ask  because  we 
noticed  several  times  that  he  looked  up  swiftly  when  these  initials 
were  uttered. 

By  the  time  that  all  the  arrack  had  been  quaffed,  the  promis- 
cuous household  of  Aban  Avit  was  somewhat  demorahzed; 
nevertheless,  we  picked  out  a  party  of  eight  or  ten  sober  men  to 
escort  us  to  the  top  of  an  adjoining  hill,  whence  we  could  get  the 
bearings  of  several  mountains  which  would  give  us  cross-bearings 
when  we  reached  the  really  hilly  country.  It  was  an  exceed- 
ingly difficult  ascent,  although  the  hill  was  only  five  hundred  feet 
high ;  so  dense  was  the  jungle  with  thorny  palms,  rattans,  and 
the  roots  of '  buttress  trees,'  that  we  had  to  cut  every  step  of  our 
way  to  the  top.  When  we  reached  the  summit  we  were  just 
as  much  closed  in  by  trees  as  when  we  were  at  the  foot.  As  a 
sight  of  the  horizon  was  essential,  there  was  no  help  for  it  but 
to  sacrifice  some  of  the  grand  old  trees  ;  so  our  men  were  set  to 
work  with  their  axes,  and  in  a  few  minutes  one  after  another 
of  the  venerable  giants  went  toppling  down  the  precipitous  hill- 
side, carrying  smaller  trees  in  their  fall  and  making  a  crashing 
roar  that  reverberated  from  mountain  to  mountain  like  veritable 
peals  of  thunder.  Then  were  disclosed  views  of  the  surrounding 
mountains  through  the  open  windows  in  the  foliage,  and  we 
were  enabled  to  take  the  bearings  of  Mt.  Dulit,  and  Mt.  Mulu, 
and  the  peaks  of  a  low  range  of  lime-stone  hills  that  were  to 
the  south-westward  near  the  coast. 

The  next  day,  during  our  toilsome  paddling  up-river,  we  over- 
took an  old  Chief  named  Jamma  and  his  party,  also  on  the  way 
to  Tama  Aping  Buling's  to  participate  in  the  Peace  ceremonies. 

Jamma  had  the  reputation  of  having  at  all  times  a  marvel- 
lously good  opinion  of  himself,  and  on  this  occasion  was  travel- 
ling in  grand  state  with  gong-players  in  the  bow  of  his  boat 
discoursing  that  tinkling,  staccato  music,  of  which,  it  seems,  he 
was  an  ardent  admirer. 

The  instrument  known  as  the  '  Kromong '  is  an  importation 
from  Brunei,  the  ancient  capital  of  Borneo,  and  consists  of  a 
series  of  eleven  small  brass  gongs  laid  on  ropes  of  rice  straw  and 


LAKI    JOK    ORONG,    A    REJANG    RIVER   CHIEF. 

THE   ORNAMENTS    IN     HIS    EARS    ARE    CARVED    OUT    OF    THE     BEAK    OF 
A   HORN-BILL,    IN    IMITATION    OF    TIGER-CAT'S    TEETH. 


;^M 


^    "V      £ 


'JAIVA'   OR  PEA  CE-MAKING  1 1 1 

struck  with  a  wooden  beater.  The  result  is  perfect  in  time  but 
absolutely  devoid  of  melody  ;  it  is  merely  running  up  and  down 
the  imperfect  scale  of  gongs  in  sequence,  or  beginning  at  the 
deepest  toned,  or  largest  gong,  with  the  left  hand,  the  third 
in  the  series  is  struck  with  the  right  hand,  then  the  second 
with  the  left  and  the  fourth  with  the  right,  and  so  up  the  line 
of  all  the  eleven  gongs,  the  left  hand  following  the  right  at  an 
interval  of  one  gong.  At  a  distance,  possibly  at  a  very  great  dis- 
tance, the  sound  wafted  across  the  water  is  really  not  unpleasant, 
recalling  the  gurgling  and  tinkling  of  a  woodland  brook  ;  but  close 
at  hand  its  jangling  monotony  is  beyond  words  exasperating. 

Jamma,  to  whom  was  due  this  running  accompaniment,  is  the 
nephew  of  the  redoubtable  Aban  Jau,  who,  in  the  wild  days 
before  Sir  Charles  Brooke  became  Rajah  of  the  Baram  district, 
was  the  ruler  over  all  the  people  of  the  Tinjar.  For  years  he 
defied  the  Sarawak  Government,  and  with  his  numerous  and 
formidable  household  of  eight  hundred  people  was  the  terror  of 
the  whole  region.  His  house  was  over  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in 
length,  and  was  well  stocked  with  brass  swivel-guns  brought 
from  Brunei.  But  he  was  finally  overpowered  by  the  Rajah's 
trained  Iban  soldiers  and  forced  to  submit  to  the  laws  and  the 
taxes  of  Sarawak.  Mild  and  moderate  as  these  were,  they  were 
too  galling  to  Aban  Jau,  and  he  soon  after  migrated  to  the 
regions  of  *  Bulun  Matai,' — the  Land  of  the  Dead, — his  house- 
hold was  scattered,  and  nothing  now  remains  of  his  long-house 
except  rows  of  decaying  posts  stretching  far  away  into  a  thick, 
impenetrable  overgrowth  of  palms,  gigantic  ferns,  and  tangled 
vines.  To  judge  of  the  dead  uncle  by  the  living  nephew,  it 
cannot  be  said  that  the  breed  is  improved ;  the  nephew,  Jamma, 
is  a  decidedly  repulsive  old  fellow  in  spite  of  his  musical  strain. 
At  the  time  I  made  his  acquaintance  he  was  sadly  in  need  of  a 
razor,  or  rather,  of  a  pair  of  tweezers ;  a  five  days'  scraggly 
growth  of  grizzled  bristles  covered  his  chin  and  cheeks ;  to  aid 
his  failing  eyes  he  wore  a  pair  of  huge,  circular,  brass-rimmed 
spectacles,  evidently  a  bargain,  purchased  at  random  from  a 
Chinese  trader ;  their  focus  did  not  in  the  least  comply  with  the 
formula  of  his  eye-sight,  and  made  him  squinny  up  his  eyes  in  a 
number  of  wrinkles  that  would  puzzle  Cocker.  The  eyes  behind 
the  glasses  resembled  those  of  an  Orang  Utan ;  the  whites  were 


112  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

2l  dirty,  blood-shot  brown,  and  the  iris  appeared  to  have  overrun 
and  left  a  stain  around  it.  His  eyebrows  and  eyelashes  had  been 
pulled  out,  and  beneath  the  lower  lids  hung  wrinkled  and  flabby 
bags  of  skin.  His  upper  lip  was  long,  and  came  down  to  a  point 
in  the  middle,  and  his  lower  lip  was  thick  and  everted,  exposing 
the  pale,  moist,  inner  surface.  His  nose  was  broad  and  flat,  and 
the  nostrils  opened  directly  forward  and  apparently  into  the  cavi- 
ties of  his  skull.  On  his  head  a  thin,  unhealthy-looking  crop  of 
whitish  hair  stood  up,  like  a  scrubbing-brush,  where  it  was  not 
covered  by  the  very  dirty  and  faded  blue  and  white  jockey  cap 
of  canton  flannel,  which  he  wore  with  unmeasured  pride  and  with 
a  '  peace  in  the  consciousness  of  being  well  dressed,'  which  all 
his  '  religion  could  not  bestow.'  The  stretched  lobe  of  his  right 
ear  had  given  way,  and  one  long  end  dangled  down  on  his  chest 
and  whipped  from  side  to  side  whenever  he  moved  his  head 
quickly.  Long  experience  has  taught  me  utterly  to  distrust  per- 
sonal appearance  at  first  sight,  but  in  Jamma's  case  a  prolonged 
acquaintance  confirmed  a  belief  that  his  intense  ugHness  had 
struck  in. 

The  Peace-party  was  by  this  time  assuming  large  propor- 
tions ;  constant  additions  were  made  to  it  from  the  houses  along 
the  river,  and  late  in  the  afternoon,  after  a  vigorous  and  inevit- 
able outburst  from  Jamma's  gongs,  we  pulled  up  at  the  high 
sandy  bank  in  front  of  the  house  of  Tama  Aping  Pang.  Here, 
beyond  the  region  of  mosquitoes,  and  while  darkness  was  closing 
in,  cooking  fires  were  built  along  the  shore. 

After  the  evening  meal  was  finished  and  universal  benevolence 
was  diffused  by  soothing  cigarettes,  all  the  Kayans  went  up 
into  the  house  to  assist  Juman  in  the  rite  of  *  Usut ' — that  is, 
of  obliterating  a  feud.  The  interchange  of  Usut  is  obligatory 
between  the  descendants  of  enemies  whenever  they  first  enter 
each  other's  houses ;  they  may  have  met  many  times  on  most 
friendly  terms  in  the  jungle  or  in  the  houses  of  neighbours,  but 
they  must  not  take  shelter  under  one  another's  roof  until  they 
have  appeased  the  wrongs  done  by  and  against  their  ancestors. 
The  simple  rite  of  giving  Usut  for  ancestral  wrongs  is  expanded 
into  the  performance  of  Jawa  when,  in  addition,  the  descendants 
have  been  themselves  wrongdoers. 

Up  the    notched  log  we  all  mounted  to  the  veranda  and 


'^AWA'    OR  PEACE-MAKING  II3 

seated  ourselves  in  a  circle  on  the  floor.  Juman  and  Tama 
Aping  Pang,  a  short  and  squat  little  man,  with  a  decidedly  Mon- 
golian face,  sat  cross-legged  and  facing  each  other.  Juman 
began  the  ceremony  by  flinging  down  a  roughly  made  iron 
spear-head  into  the  centre  of  the  circle ;  thereupon  Jamma, 
still  wearing  his  goggles  and  his  blue  and  white  jockey  cap, 
arose  to  officiate.  Upon  the  flat  surface  of  the  spear-head  a 
young  chicken  was  at  once  decapitated,  then  torn  to  pieces,  and 
its  warm  blood  smeared  thickly  over  the  point.  The  hideous 
Jamma  thereupon  proclaimed,  in  the  guttural  grunts  of  the  Sibop 
language,  that  all  enmity  between  the  Houses  of  Tama  Aping 
Pang  and  Juman  was  at  an  end,  and  hereafter  neither  of  them 
could  be  reproached  with  having  allowed  the  slaughter  of 
their  ancestors  to  go  unavenged.  Whereupon  sundry  beads 
and  trinkets  were  exchanged  more  as  a  formality  than  on 
account  of  their  value,  and  some  blood  from  the  spear-point 
having  been  rubbed  either  on  the  chest  or  arms  of  ever>^one 
present,  including  ourselves,  Juman  and  all  his  clan  at  once 
hailed  Tama  Aping  Pang  and  all  his  clan,  as  friends.  No 
carousing  followed,  and  the  weary  Kayans  soon  retired  to  the 
river-bank  and  to  their  canoes  to  sleep. 

This  house  of  Tama  Aping  Pang  is  famed  for  its  manufacture 
of  '  Sumpits,'  or  blow-pipes.  All  along  on  the  partition  wall  of 
the  veranda,  I  noticed  that  they  were  stacked  in  all  stages  of 
manufacture,  from  the  rough-hewn  and  thick  staves  up  to  the 
drilled  and  polished  tubes.  The  best  Sumpits  are  made  of  a 
hard,  close-grained,  reddish  wood  of  a  tree  called  '  Niagang.' 
This  is  used  not  only  on  account  of  its  hardness  but  also 
because  it  is  exceedingly  straight  and  has  very  few  knots.  A 
staff  of  wood  about  eight  feet  long  is  shaved  down  until  it  is 
about  three  and  a  half  inches  in  diameter;  it  is  then  inserted  in  a 
hole  in  the  floor  of  the  house,  and  so  secured  that  one  end 
remains  five  or  six  inches  above  the  floor ;  over  it  a  man  stands 
with  a  long,  slender  rod  of  iron  flattened  to  a  rough  edge  at  one 
end  ;  this  edge  an  assistant  keeps  constantly  true  to  the  centre 
of  the  long  staff,  while  the  man  raises  and  drops  the  drill  per- 
pendicularly. Gradually  a  bore  of  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in 
diameter  is  thus  produced.  It  is  an  exceedingly  slow  process  ;  it 
takes  at  least  eight  or  nine  hours  to  drill  through  the   whole 

8 


114  HO  ME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

length  of  the  staff.  The  bore  is  now  smoothed,  first,  by  means 
of  fine  sand  or  clay  smeared  on  a  sHm  rattan,  which  is  pulled 
through  it  many  times  rapidly  backward  and  forward.  It  is 
then  ready  for  polishing  with  another  piece  of  rattan  ending  in  a 
loop  or  a  cleft,  wherein  leaves,  like  the  bamboo,  rich  in  silica, 
are  bound  ;  it  is  thus  polished  until  it  shines  almost  as  briUiantly 
as  a  gun-barrel.  The  staff  is  now  trimmed  down  to  the  diameter 
of  about  an  inch  and  a  half  at  the  mouth,  and  to  an  inch  at  the 
muzzle,  and  then  scraped  and  smoothed  with  knives  and  shark- 
skin files.  If  the  tube  happen  to  be  slightly  sprung,  the  curve  is 
overcome  by  a  broad  iron  spear-head  bound  on  at  the  muzzle ; 
when  the  pipe  is  held  horizontally  the  weight  of  the  iron  coun- 
teracts the  curve. 

Some  of  the  more  highly  finished  blow-pipes  are  furnished 
with  a  sight,  called  by  the  Kayans  '  Bitan,'  ingeniously  made  of 
a  cowrie  shell  imbedded  in  gutta-percha  near  the  muzzle,  with 
the  slit-like  opening  turned  upward  and  parallel  with  the  shaft  ; 
again,  others  have  an  iron  sight,  near  the  muzzle,  bound  on  with 
rattan.  I  have  never  seen  any  carved  ornamentation  on  a  blow- 
pipe except  a  plate  of  bone  inlaid  with  strips  of  lead,  at  the 
mouth-end.  *  Sumpitan '  is  the  Malay  name  for  the  weapon  ;  the 
Kayans  call  it  *  Leput,'  and  the  Punans  simply  '  Put ;'  Ibans, 
who  clip  and  elide  Malay  words,  drop  the  ending  an,  and  call 
it  '  Sumpit.'  All  these  names  are,  possibly,  derived  from  an 
imitation  of  the  sound  when  the  dart  is  blown  through  the  tube 
and  the  tongue  closes  the  opening  with  a  quick  pat. 

Before  our  departure  next  morning  there  was  lively  trading  in 
the  specialty  of  the  house.  The  house  itself  was  really  a  notable 
monument  of  industr}''  and  artistic  taste ;  many  of  the  projecting 
beam-ends  were  carved  and  the  partition  walls  decorated  with 
borders  and  frescoes  in  black  and  red.  For  a  bolt  of  red  cloth  I 
bought  the  elaborately  carved  door  of  a  dwelling-room,  whereof 
the  photograph  is  on  the  opposite  page. 

Our  next  destination  was  the  house  of  the  crafty  and  treach- 
erous Aban  Liah,  once  a  respected  Penghulu,  but  on  account  of 
his  duplicity  in  connection  with  the  murder  of  the  Chinaman  by 
Tinggi,  (set  forth  in  the  preceding  pages,)  the  Government  had 
degraded  him.  His  house  was  selected,  nevertheless,  as  a  rendez- 
vous for  the  whole  Peace-party  before  ascending  the  river  to  the 


A   DOOR-FRAME    FROM    THE    HOUSE   OF   TAMA   APING    PANG, 

A   SIBOP. 

THE  TWO  LITTLE  FIGURES  ABOVE  THE  DOOR  WERE  SAID  TO  REPRESENT 
WAWA  MONKEYS.  THE  CARVING  TO  THE  RIGHT  OF  THEM  IS,  I  BELIEVE,  THE 
CONVENTIONALIZED  HEAD  OF  A  PIG.  BELOW  THE  DOOR  THE  SAME  DESIGN 
IS    REPEATED,    BUT    REVERSED   AND    DOUBLE. 


V,-    X  I  ,,  ,  . 


'^APFA'   OR  PEACE-MAKING  I15 

house  of  Tama  Aping  Ruling,  just  then  the  candidate  for  the 
Penghulu-ship  of  the  upper  Tinjar,  and  also  for  Aban  Liah's 
seat  in  the  Council  Negri. 

After  the  halt  for  luncheon,  at  mid-day,  old  Jamma  courte- 
ously invited  me  into  his  boat,  and  in  order  to  overcome  my 
prejudice  against  him  I  accepted  his  invitation.  He  verily  tried 
his  best  to  make  me  comfortable;  arranged  mats  and  rolls  of 
cloth  for  me  to  recline  on  ;  started  up  the  gong-beater  to  his 
deafening  and  lugubrious  work  ;  told  me  with  assiduous  attention 
the  names  of  the  small  tributary  streams  which  we  passed,  and 
zealously  pointed  out  one  where  some  of  his  men  had  gone  on  a 
collecting  trip  for  the  '  thing  that  smells,' — a  circumlocution  for 
camphor, — he  was  afraid  to  pronounce  the  name  lest  it  bring  bad 
luck  to  his  collectors.  That  the  river  was  pre-empted  was  mani- 
fest ;  across  its  mouth  had  been  stretched  a  rope  of  rattan,  and 
from  it  dangled  wooden  models  of  parangs,  billiongs,  (axes)  and 
spears.  These  models  indicated  that  the  river  was  claimed  by 
the  camphor  collectors  ;  to  disregard  this  warning  exposed  the 
offender  to  the  malignity  of  all  evil  Spirits.  The  only  way 
whereby  such  a  taboo  may  be  counteracted  is  to  build  a  fire,  and 
erect  over  it  an  arch  of  twigs  and  sticks  cut  at  the  ends  and  down 
the  sides  into  curled  shavings  ;  when  the  fire  burns  up  briskly, 
he  who  would  break  the  taboo  must  carefully  explain  to  the  fire 
that  he  is  a  near  friend  to  the  claimants  of  the  river,  and  entreat 
the  flame  and  the  smoke  to  convey  his  message  of  good-will  both 
to  them  and  to  the  Spirits  of  the  jungle.  After  this  ceremony  he 
may,  in  perfect  safety,  pass  under  the  rattan,  and  ascend  the  river. 

In  the  course  of  this  entertaining  and  instructive  conversation, 
Jamma  suddenly,  and  apparently  for  the  first  time,  caught  sight 
of  my  briar-wood  pipe,  and,  apropos  of  nothing,  exclaimed, 
'  What  a  pity  it  is  that  the  Tuan  did  not  bring  with  him  several 
pipes  like  the  one  he  is  now  smoking.'  The  mystery  of  his 
devotion  to  me  was  at  once  solved !  Here  was  the  secret  of  his 
hospitality ;  alack,  I  did  not  respond ;  blind  to  the  palpable 
hint,  I  simply  replied  that  it  was  indeed  a  pity,  a  great  pity ;  I 
often  liked  to  change  my  pipes,  but  that  this  one  was  so  excep- 
tionally sweet  that  I  had  brought  no  other.  He  had  counted  on 
my  handing  it  over  to  him  with  alacrity,  and  at  once  his  manner 
changed  from  '■  gay  to  grave,  from  lively  to  severe ;'  the  rest  of 


Il6  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORAEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

the  journey  was  passed  in  an  obstinate  silence,  unbroken  save 
by  the  banging  of  his  brazen  gongs. 

Aban  Liah  began  to  show  his  evil  disposition  from  the  very 
moment  we  pulled  up  at  his  house ;  he  insisted  that  Juman  should 
never  enter  his  house  until  Usut  had  been  paid.  This  seemed 
designed  to  thwart  the  whole  Peace-making ;  not  only  would 
much  time  be  consumed  in  discussing  the  payment  of  Usut  which 
was  not  due  to  Aban  Liah,  but  furthermore  the  ceremony  of 
Jawa  and  total  settlement  of  Usut  had  been  planned  to  take 
place  in  a  day  or  two  at  Tama  Aping  Buling's.  Dr.  Hose  put  a 
stop  at  once  to  all  this  nonsense  by  emphatically  telling  Aban 
Liah  that  Juman  was  now  travelling  with  the  Government, — that 
is,  with  Dr.  Hose  himself, — and  as  the  Government  intended  to 
enter  any  house  that  was  convenient,  Juman  should  follow.  I  am 
thus  particular  in  giving  these  details  because  of  their  tragic  con- 
sequence to  Aban  Liah.  In  response,  Aban  Liah  gave  a  grunt, 
and,  muttering,  shut  himself  up  at  once  in  his  private  room,  where 
he  sulked  for  half  an  hour,  while  the  Kayans  and  Kenyahs  were 
making  themselves  quite  at  home  in  his  veranda.  When  they 
were  all  seated  in  groups.  Dr.  Hose  went  to  the  room  and  dragged 
forth  the  pouting,  grumbling,  obstinate  old  creature,  and  although 
the  two  men,  Aban  Liah  and  Juman,  were  perfectly  well  acquainted 
with  each  other.  Dr.  Hose  made  an  elaborate  ceremony  of  intro- 
ducing them,  as  though  they  had  never  met  before ;  this  formal 
introduction  really  seemed  to  obliterate  all  previous  hard  feeling, 
and  Aban  Liah  unbent  as  though  graciously  meeting  a  new 
acquaintance.  Shortly  afterward,  our  host  cleared  a  space  in  his 
room  for  us,  spread  fresh  mats,  and  put  his  fireplace  at  the 
disposal  of  our  Chinese  cook.  When  we  all  sat  chatting  in 
the  veranda,  Aban  Liah  seized  the  occasion  to  expatiate  on  the 
magnificent  proportions  of  the  pig  that  he  was  going  to  kill  for 
us  on  the  morrow,  affirming  that  it  was  seven  spans  long  (this 
was  one  span  better  than  Tama  Liri  had  held  out  to  us),  and 
very,  very  fat!  His  arrack  also  was  of  an  especially  fine  brand, 
and  plenty  of  it,  too,  in  jars  dusty  with  age. 

Suddenly,  messengers  hurried  in  to  announce  that  the  Lerons 
from  the  house  of  the  Leppu  Anans  close  by,  and  friends  and 
relatives  of  Tinggi,  were  on  their  way  down-river  to  go  through 
the  ceremony  of  Jawa  with  Juman  and  his  clan. 


ABAN    LIAH. 

A    BERAWAN     CHIEF,     WHO,    DURING    THE    PEACE-MAKING,    DIED    OF    A 
GUILTY    CONSCIENCE. 


•JAWA'   OR  PEA  CE-MA  KING  1 1 7 

The  greatest  excitement  at  once  ensued;  all  jumped  to  their 
feet  and  began  talking  and  gesticulating  wildly.  Dr.  Hose,  fear- 
ing that  a  real  fight,  instead  of  a  sham  one,  might  be  the  result, 
hurried  up-river  in  a  light  canoe,  to  meet  the  approaching  par- 
ticipators in  the  Jawa,  and  to  restrain  their  zeal.  These  people, 
be  it  remembered,  had  vowed  to  kill  Dr.  Hose  on  sight,  and  had 
even  made  death-dealing  images  both  of  him  and  of  Tama  Bulan, 
as  I  have  already  mentioned.  Dr.  Hose's  absolute  disregard  of 
their  bloodthirsty  threats  and  machinations  disarmed  them  com- 
pletely ;  he  boarded  their  canoe  in  the  most  friendly  manner  and 
accompanied  them  down-stream. 

When  they  were  opposite  to  Aban  Liah's  house,  the  bravest 
in  their  party  fired  three  or  four  blank  shots  from  an  old  muzzle- 
loading  gun.  This  salute  Juman  was  bound  to  answer  from  the 
house.  His  gun  was  a  breech-loader,  but  unfortunately  so  old, 
battered,  and  loose  in  its  joints  that  a  man  at  the  stock  stood  in 
as  much  danger  as  a  man  at  the  muzzle.  Juman's  apology  for 
his  reluctance  to  fire  it  off  was — (literally  translated)  *  Tuan,  will 
you  shoot  off  this  snappang  for  me ;  I  am  afraid  its  engine  has 
the  fever,*  My  assistant,  Lewis  Etzel,  discharged  it  twice  for 
him,  and  then  made  the  hair  of  the  Lerons  stand  on-end  by 
discharging  from  his  Winchester  rifle  six  shots,  in  rapid  succes- 
sion. After  this  exchange  of  salutes,  the  Lerons  disembarked 
and  entered  the  house  at  the  up-river  end.  After  all  were 
assembled  in  a  dense  crowd,  panting  with  excitement,  their  eyes 
dilated  and  flashing,  they  paused  for  a  second  and  then  gave  a 
wild  yell,  like  a  jeer  of  derision,  and  began  stamping  their  feet  on 
the  rattling  boards.  It  was  truly  deafening.  Instantly  Juman  and 
his  people  were  on  their  feet.  There  was  a  quick,  frenzied  dash, 
with  yells  and  stamps,  until  they  stood  face  to  face.  This  was  the 
instant  that  the  sham,  weaponless  fight  should  have  taken  place, 
leaving  black  eyes  and  torn  ears.  For  a  moment,  it  seemed 
as  though  over-excitement  w^ould  lead  to  a  deeper  tragedy. 
The  reaction  came  unexpectedly  from  Juman,  the  chief  actor  in  this 
dramatic  show  (which  in  sooth  it  really  was),  Juman,  brave 
enough  before  a  single  man,  Tinggi,  was  here  overcome  by  an 
attack  of — what  shall  I  call  it  ? — stage  fright  ?  The  next  moment 
we  saw  him  wilt  and  ignominiously  retreat  from  the  affray.  The 
wild  hubbub  subsided  weakly.     Criticisms  of  Juman's  conduct 


Il8  HO  ME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

were  at  once  loudly,  freely,  and  universally  expressed.  But, 
unabashed,  he  stoutly  maintained  that  he  had  fulfilled  all  that 
was  required  of  him,  and  that  now  was  the  time  for  Usut.  The 
Lerons  had  killed  many  of  his  ancestors  in  days  of  yore,  and  he 
demanded  of  them,  as  a  salve  for  his  wounded  feelings,  five 
'  Tawaks ' — (large  bronze  gongs  made  in  Java)  and  five  small 
gongs,  (worth  in  all  about  three  hundred  Mexican  dollars.)  This 
considerable  sum,  the  Lerons  protested,  was  far  too  high  a  price 
to  pay  for  wounds  inflicted  on  Juman's  ancestors  and  his  own 
feelings  ;  finally,  after  much  haggling  and  many  excited  gesticula- 
tions on  both  sides,  a  compromise  was  struck  on  one  Tawak,  one 
small  gong,  and  a  '  Lukut  sekala,'  one  of  those  invaluable  beads, 
prized  above  all  others  by  Kayans,  Kenyahs,  and  Ibans. 

(I  tried  my  best  to  solve  the  mysterious  value  of  these 
beads,  but  in  vain.  They  are  by  no  means  brilliant  or  showy ; 
indeed,  quite  the  contrary,  they  are  rather  dull  and  ugly ;  of 
about  half  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  on  the  four  quarters  there 
is  a  little  many-pointed  star  of  dull  yellow  on  a  dark  back- 
ground. They  look  a  good  deal  like  old  Venetian  glass,  but 
whence  they  originally  came,  or  wherein  consists  their  charm, 
the  natives  themselves  could  not  or  would  not  tell.  Once  on  a 
time,  some  astute  Chinese  traders,  counting  on  an  assured 
fortune,  sent  a  Lukut  sekala  to  Germany,  where  it  was  copied 
with  really  marvellous  fidelity.  With  these  faultless  imitations 
they  were  certain  that  they  could  deceive  the  natives,  but  the 
latter  detected  the  counterfeit  beads  at  once,  and,  although  willing 
to  purchase  the  forgeries,  would  pay  but  a  pittance  for  them.) 

By  the  terms  of  the  Usut,  whenever  the  Lerons  should  pay  a 
return  visit  to  Juman,  he  pledged  himself  to  restore  the  Lukut 
sekala. 

As  soon  as  Juman's  Usut  was  finally  settled  with  the  Lerons, 
Aban  Liah's  vaunted  seven-span  pig  was  brought  forward  for 
inspection  and  admiration.  Tama  Liri  at  once  fell  to  measuring 
it  off;  when  his  last  span  reached  the  animal's  snout,  he  arose, 
and,  gazing  round  on  the  circle  and  wagging  his  head  with  a 
beaming  and  triumphant  smile,  announced  that  after  all  the  pig 
was  barely  five  spans  long.  The  chorus  of  clucks  of  surprise 
with  which  this  announcement  was  greeted  did  not,  however,  in 
the  least  disconcert  the  boastful  and  deceitful  old  host. 


A    CONTINGENT   OF   THE    PEACE-PARTY. 


'JAWA'    OR  PEA CE-MAKING  1 19 

Jamma,  still  resplendent  in  his  dirty  blue  and  white  jockey- 
cap  and  prodigious  goggles,  hustled  about  in  a  most  officious 
manner,  directing  the  guests  and  members  of  the  household 
where  to  sit,  and  what  to  do,  always  in  a  half-apologetic  tone,  as 
if  the  host,  Aban  Liah,  should  be  pardoned  for  not  exactly  know- 
ing what  was  proper.  Tama  Talip,  the  Chief  of  the  Lerons,  now 
that  everything  in  the  way  of  Usut  had  been  paid  and  snugly 
stowed,  took  his  seat  among  the  Kayans  and  Kenyahs,  and 
denounced  Juman's  demands  and  rehearsed  the  deaths  among  his 
forebears  due  to  Juman's  bloodthirsty  family.  Juman  listened 
stolidly,  evidently  not  a  little  pleased  to  hear  how  very  brave 
his  ancestors  had  been.  The  talk  went  round  the  circle,  and  Jok 
Orong  began  again  to  drone  forth  the  endless  tale  of  his  woes. 
The  dreary  knowledge  of  what  this  implied  proved  too  much  for 
the  patience  of  the  white  contingent  of  the  Peace-party,  and  we 
all  crept  unobserved  out  of  the  circle,  and,  having  found,  on  the 
banks  of  the  river,  an  upturned  canoe,  recHned  thereon,  and 
lazily  watched  in  the  gloaming  the  gigantic  fruit-bats,  ('  flying 
foxes  '  they  are  called,)  which  were  now  thickly  visible  in  all 
quarters  of  the  sky  and  all  bending  their  flight  in  one  direction, 
toward  their  nocturnal  feeding-ground.  They  imparted  an  ante- 
diluvian appearance  to  the  sombre  scene,  and  we  seemed  to  have 
travelled  back  into  a  remote  geologic  period,  among  the  ptero- 
dactyls. Not  even  the  golden  rays  of  level  sunlight  gleaming 
forth  from  beneath  lowering  clouds  on  the  horizon  could  dispel 
this  solemnit}^  At  our  feet  sluggishly  glided  the  darkening 
river,  emerging,  and  again  lost,  from  under  the  dense  jungle  on 
its  banks,  whence  here  and  there  tall,  slender,  tufted  palms  rose 
into  the  silent  air  from  the  unbroken  green  massed  about  their 
feet.  On  the  opposite  bank,  in  the  distance,  abruptly  towered 
Mount  Dulit,  whose  purple  peaks  were  glowing  with  the  last  rays 
of  sunlight.  And  '  all  the  air  a  solemn  stillness  '  held,  save  when 
at  intervals  the  muffled  murmur  of  Jok  Orong's  woes  reached  us 
from  the  house  behind,  but  did  not  mar  the  scene  ;  it  partook 
of  the  nature  of  eternity  and  infinity ;  we  felt  that  labitiir  ct 
labetiir  in  omne  vohibilis  aeviim. 

On  the  next  day  a  great  feast  was  held ;  as  one  of  the  most 
important,  nay,  most  vital,  of  preHminaries,  the  slaughter  of  the 
pigs  took  place,  and  the  inspection  of  their  livers  for  favorable  or 


I20  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

unfavorable  omens.  The  pigs  were  brought  up  with  their  four 
feet  tied  together,  and  laid  in  a  row  outside  the  circle  of  Chiefs 
and  elders  in  the  veranda.  Tama  Talip,  the  Chief  of  the  Lerons 
as  well  as  an  adopted  father  of  Tinggi,  whom  Juman  had  slain, 
begged  Dr.  Hose  to  talk  to  a  pig  before  it  was  killed,  and  enjoin 
it  to  divulge  by  its  liver  whether  or  not  the  Government  was  right 
in  ordering  the  death  of  Tinggi.  Dr.  Hose  consented  to  harangue 
the  swine,  but  with  much  shrewdness,  warned  the  assemblage,  in 
advance,  that  no  matter  what  the  victim's  liver  might  indicate,  he 
had  pursued  the  course  that  seemed  right  to  him,  and  would  do 
so  again  in  spite  of  all  the  livers  of  a  thousand  pigs.  He  stood 
forth  in  the  centre  of  the  circle,  where  the  pig  was  lying,  and 
paused  solemnly  for  all  conversation  to  cease ;  in  spite,  however, 
of  the  gravity  of  his  bearing,  and  the  sacredness  of  the  occasion, 
some  of  the  light-headed  rabble,  outside  the  circle,  kept  up  a 
gabbling,  whereupon  he  shouted  at  them  in  a  voice  so  loud  and 
stern,  that  their  teeth  chattered,  and  old  Jamma's  hair  stood  up 
stiffer  than  before.  In  the  pin -drop  silence  that  followed,  he 
suddenly  gave  the  unsuspecting  swine  a  vigorous  kick  to  enforce 
attention,  whereto,  by  an  aggrieved  squeal,  the  animal  responded 
that  it  was  all  ears.  His  harangue  was  then  addressed,  partly  to 
the  pig  and  partly  to  the  Lerons,  almost  in  the  following  words  : — 
'  Lerons,  it  is  not  one  of  our  customs  to  ask  from  a  pig  what  is  in 
the  hearts  of  men,  but  you  people  of  up-river  have  faith  in  this 
custom  and  believe  that  a  pig  knows  your  feelings,  [cries  of 
'  Betul !  Betul  !  ' — True  !  True  !]  I  will  on  this  occasion  adopt 
your  custom  and  talk  to  this  pig.  You  tell  me  that  this  pig 
understands  Malay,  so  I  will  talk  in  that  language,  that  all  may 
understand,  Kayans,  Kenyahs,  Sibops,  Berawans,  and  Lerons. 
Know  then,  that  it  was  neither  Juman  nor  Tama  Bulan  who  slew 
Tinggi  and  his  brother  Sidup,  but  I,  the  Government,  did  it,  and 
none  other.  If  you  have  any  fault  to  find,  find  it  with  me. 
Remember  that,  you,  Tama  Talip,  there !  And  now,  O  sacred 
pig,  tell  us  who  is  in  the  wrong  and  who  is  in  the  right.  [Here, 
the  pig  receives  another  and  vigorous  call  upon  its  attention,  and 
responds  befittingly.]  If  men  of  the  Tinjar  kill  people,  I  will 
order  men  from  the  Baram  to  find  the  murderers  and  slay  them. 
If  men  of  the  Baram  kill  people,  I  will  order  Tinjar  men  to  find 
the  murderers  and  slay  them.     Let  this  declaration  of  mine  sink 


'JAWA'   OR  PEA  CE-MAKING  I  2 1 

into  your  livers,  all  you  people  from  both  rivers,  and  never  for- 
get it.'  With  these  concluding  words,  he  stamped  his  foot  so 
suddenly  and  so  loudly,  that  the  old  men,  already  awed  by  the 
silence  and  the  solemnity  of  the  hour,  jumped  almost  from  the  floor, 
and  Jamma  shook  his  goggles  off!  Immediately  the  cry  arose, 
— '  Kill  the  pig  instantly,  that  he  may  hear  nothing  else  to  influ- 
ence him ! '  The  poor  beast  was  then  quickly  seized  and  taken 
to  one  side,  and  its  neck  sawed  through  with  a  dull  parang,  and 
before  its  death-struggles  were  fully  over,  its  warm  liver  was 
deposited  in  a  wooden  bowl,  and  passed  round  the  assembly  for 
close  inspection.  They  all  tried  to  look  extremely  wise  and 
expressed  their  opinions  in  a  grave  undertone  to  their  neighbors  ; 
an  old  man,  with  one  eye  and  a  faded  green  velvet  smoking-cap, 
winked  and  blinked  at  it,  and  then  pensively  resumed  the  masti- 
cation of  a  betel  nut.  Jamma  pawed  and  fingered  the  liver  all 
over,  but  maintained  an  ominous  silence.  Tama  Talip  screwed 
his  mouth  up  on  one  side  with  a  foreboding  expression,  clasped 
his  hands  over  his  knees,  and  began  rocking  backward  and  for- 
ward. The  atmosphere  became  charged  with  perplexity  and  deep 
anxiety.  Evidently,  the  fateful  liver  was  only  possibly  favorable, 
and  certainly  dubious.  The  gall-bladder  extended  down  nearly 
to  the  edge  of  the  liver,  and  the  small  lobe  which  lies  beside  it 
was  thin  and  long;  so  far,  these  features  meant  long  life  and 
prosperity.  The  chief  points,  which  involved  perplexity  not 
unmixed  with  deep  dismay,  were  that  the  lobe  which  represented 
the  Government,  was  small,  hard,  and  firm,  while  its  inner  border 
was  ominously  like  a  cord  set  into  the  surrounding  substance ; 
and,  worst  of  all,  above  the  attachment  of  the  gall-bladder  was 
an  unprecedented,  deeply  indented  scar,  as  if  some  of  the  liver  had 
actually  melted  away !  Consternation  began  to  deepen.  It  was 
a  hazardous  minute  for  the  Government.  But  Dr.  Hose  rose  to 
the  occasion,  and  at  once  proclaimed  to  all  the  clear  and  manifest 
interpretation  of  the  extraordinary  message  from  the  pig.  He 
asserted  that  the  liver  most  unmistakably  revealed  to  them,  by 
the  hardness  of  its  lobe,  the  strength  and  unswerving  justice  of 
the  Government,  and  that  it  was  most  difficult  to  break,  while  at 
the  same  time,  it  was  as  clear  as  noon-day  that  the  thick,  cord- 
like border  showed  how  firmly  the  Government  was  united  to 
the  best  interests  of  the  people.     Then  turning  to  the  scar  above 


122  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

the  gall-bladder,  he  made  their  very  souls  quiver  and  their  flesh 
creep,  by  declaring  that  it  unquestionably  foretold  the  speedy 
and  inevitable  death  of  some  very  important  Chief!  (A  little 
wholesome  terror  is  a  happy  solvent  in  governing  these  people.) 
Several  of  the  Chiefs  present  would  have  turned  pale,  if  they 
could,  at  this  frightful,  terrifying  revelation,  but  possibly  they 
consoled  themselves  with  the  thought,  hitherto  unacknowledged 
by  their  self-conceit,  that  perhaps  they  were  not  so  very,  very 
important  after  all. 

No  one  dared  raise  a  dissenting  voice  to  Dr.  Hose's  lucid  and 
manifest  interpretation.  A  good  instance,  by  the  way,  of  one  of 
the  sources  of  his  influence  over  them ;  he  always  contrives  to 
turn  to  the  Government's  account  their  superstitions  and  fears. 

Aban  Liah,  our  host,  was  the  most  apprehensive  of  all  present. 
He  well  knew  that  he  had  once  been  all-important  in  his  tribe, 
and  that  he  had  been  unfaithful  and  treacherous  to  the  Govern- 
ment ;  wherefore,  the  better  to  conceal  his  deadly  fear,  and  revive 
his  courage,  he  had  his  large  jars  of  arrack  brought  out,  and 
ostentatiously  cut  the  dusty  stiff  rattans  which  bound  down  the 
covers.  The  first  drink  was  tendered  to  the  interminable  Jok 
Orong,  the  guest  from  the  Rejang,  to  whom  all  desired  to  show 
friendship  and  promise  protection  to  his  people  should  they  move 
into  the  Baram  district.  He  gulped  down  the  drink  quickly, 
but  not  so  quickly  that  the  crowd  had  not  time  enough  to  stamp 
and  shout  in  the  customary  manner  so  mightily  that  the  house 
most  alarmingly  trembled,  creaked,  and  swayed,  until  caution 
prompted  us  to  secure  safe  positions  over  good,  strong  beams  ;  no 
accident  happened,  however,  although  a  tremendous  uproar 
accompanied  the  quaffing  by  each  Chief  Before  the  second 
round  of  drinks.  Dr.  Hose  insisted  that  they  should  deliver  their 
speeches  and  protestations  of  peace  while  their  brains  were  still 
unclouded,  and  as  a  preliminary  the  officious  Jamma  killed  a 
fowl  over  a  bowl  of  water,  and  then  with  a  brush  of  wood  cut 
into  a  tuft  of  shavings  at  one  end  spattered  the  blood  and  water 
over  the  audience.  Then,  still  holding  the  blood-smeared  brush 
in  his  hand,  he  launched  into  a  vehement  harangue,  proclaiming 
this  to  be  the  very  greatest  of  all  Peace-makings  that  had  ever 
been  known  on  the  banks  of  the  Tinjar,  and  that  the  pig's  liver 
had  shown  them  clearly  and  truly  the  strength  and  benefit  of  the 


LIAN    AVIT,    A    LEPPU    ANNAN,   WITH    TIPANG,     HIS    WIFE,    WHO    IS 
STANDING,   AND    HER   TWO   SISTERS. 

THE  WOODEN  FIGURES  BEHIND  THEM  HAVE  BEEN  PLACED  NEAR  THE 
PATHWAY  LEADING  TO  THE  HOUSE,  TO  FRIGHTEN  AWAY  EVIL  SPIRITS.  THESE 
FIGURES  ARE  NOT  WORSHIPPED  AS  IDOLS,  NOR  ARE  OFFERINGS  OR  SACRI- 
FICES MADE  TO  THEM,  BUT  THEY  ARE  REGARDED  TO  A  CERTAIN  EXTENT  WITH 
REVERENCE,  INASMUCH  AS  TO  TOUCH  THEM  OR  TREAT  THEM  DISRESPECT- 
FULLY ENDANGERS  THE  OFFENDER  TO  TERRIBLE  DREAMS  AT  NIGHT  AND  TO 
BEING    SEIZED    BY    GHOSTLY    HANDS,    WHICH    WILL    LEAVE    LASTING    SCARS. 


•yAWA'    OR  PEACE-MAKING  1 23 

Government.  When  he  had  nearly  shaken  off  his  absurd  goggles 
and  his  jockey  cap  had  assumed  a  jaunty  air  on  the  back  of  his 
head,  he  handed  the  bloodied  brush  over  to  Juman,  who  at 
once  jumped  to  his  feet,  and  in  the  Kayan  language  began  to  tell 
in  a  truly  sensible  way  how  he  and  Tama  Bulan  had  been  com- 
manded by  the  Government  to  bring  Tinggi  to  justice.  He  then 
deliberately  narrated  all  the  details  of  the  killing,  (which  must 
have  been  pleasant  to  the  ears  of  Tama  Talip,  the  adopted  father 
of  Tinggi,)  but  gradually  he  worked  himself  up  to  a  high  pitch  of 
excitement,  beating  the  air  with  his  arms,  see-sawing  backward 
and  forward,  and  emphasising  the  close  of  each  sentence  by 
shouting  '  Bahh !  Bahh  ! '  He  asserted  that  he  was  but  the  servant 
of  the  Government  when  he  killed  Tinggi,  and  so  staunch  was 
his  loyalty  that,  should  the  Government  command  him  to  kill 
his  dear  friend  Tama  Usong,  he  would  hold  it  to  be  his  duty  to 
obey.  His  excitement  soon  over-mastered  him,  and  when  he 
began  to  indulge  in  bravado,  and  offer  to  engage  any  one  member 
of  Tinggi's  family  in  single  combat,  we  deemed  it  high  time  to 
pull  him  down  into  his  seat,  and  then  plied  him  with  congratu- 
lations, just  as  though  he  had  fully  rounded  off  his  speech  and 
finished  all  he  wanted  to  say. 

While  he  was  on  his  feet,  drinks  had  been  passing  around 
quietly  and  some  of  the  older  men,  whose  heads  were  none  too 
strong,  began  to  feel  alcoholic  effects.  Old  Aban  Anyi,  a  devoted 
follower  of  Tama  Usong,  and  a  hero  of  many  battles,  who  once 
told  me  with  pride  that  he  had  killed  many  men,  any  quantity  of 
women,  and  no  end  of  children,  hearing  Juman  boast  that  he 
would  kill  Tama  Usong  if  he  were  so  ordered  by  the  Government, 
tried  to  get  on  his  feet  to  challenge  such  braggart  talk,  but  Tama 
Usong  himself  grabbed  him  forcibly  by  the  back  of  his  waist- 
cloth  and  thumped  him  down  to  his  seat  again,  where  he  sat 
mumbling  and  protesting  until  soothed  and  silenced  with  another 
drink.  The  bloody  *//«,'  or  wooden  brush,  was  next  passed  to 
Aban  Liah,  but  his  speech  was  weak  and  very  apologetic  through- 
out ;  he  asserted  that  the  Government  had  treated  him  badly  by 
degrading  him  just  because  he  did  not  tell  the  whereabouts  of 
the  murderers,  Tinggi  and  Sidup  ;  indeed,  he  never  knew  who  the 
murderers  were.  Now  the  fact  was  that  we  knew,  and  all  his 
hearers  knew,  that  he  had  lied  egregiously  and  persistently  about 


124  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

the  murderers,  and  had  even  concealed  them  in  his  own  house. 
All  this  had  been  fully  proved  after  the  murderers  had  been 
killed.  It  was  the  sufficing  cause  of  his  loss  of  the  Penghulu- 
ship. 

Tama  Usong's  turn  came  next  to  declare  his  good  will  to  the 
people  of  the  Tinjar,  and  before  he  began,  a  large  cup  of  arrack 
was  thrust  upon  him.  The  contents  of  the  jars  had  become,  by 
this  time,  nearly  exhausted ;  consequently  this  cupfuU  had  been 
dipped  up  from  the  dregs,  and  Tama  Usong  gulped  into  his 
mouth  several  large  pasty  lumps  of  fermented  rice.  In  the 
embarrassment  caused  by  holding  the  pla  (which  seems  to  be 
essential  to  public  speaking)  he  blew  the  kernels  of  rice  accident- 
ally, but  directly  in  his  host's  face.  The  arrack  was  painfully 
present  in  his  rambling  and  incoherent  speech,  to  which  no  one 
paid  any  attention.  At  its  conclusion  all  the  Chiefs  drank  in 
turn  from  the  same  cup,  and  the  formal  part  of  the  programme 
of  the  meeting  ended. 

Having  gathered  about  him  a  fresh  and  untried  audience,  Jok 
Orong  started  in  again  with  his  endless,  life-long  tale  of  woe, 
which,  we  knew,  only  too  well,  would  last  until  the  arrack  was 
utterly  exhausted  as  well  as  his  hearers  ;  we,  therefore,  left  them 
incontinently,  preferring  the  peace  and  quiet  of  the  Leppu  Anan 
house,  a  short  distance  up-river,  to  the  fingered  feast  of  stewed 
fat  pork  with  which  Aban  Liah  was  about  to  regale  his  guests. 

The  Leppu  Anans  are  a  clan  from  the  Rejang,  which  not  long 
before  had  been  driven  over  to  the  Baram  district  by  a  threat- 
ened onslaught  of  the  Ibans,  who  by  some  underhand  means  had 
obtained  permission  from  the  Government  to  attack  them  with 
a  regularly  organized  force.  Dr.  Hose,  hearing  that  this  expedition 
had  started,  and  knowing  that  the  permission  had  been  granted 
to  the  Ibans  on  false  pretexts,  and  inasmuch  as  in  this  matter  of 
life  and  death  there  was  no  time  to  communicate  with  the 
Government,  instantly  sent  swift  messengers  to  the  homes  of 
the  Leppu  Anans,  telling  them  to  fly  for  their  lives,  and  prom- 
ising them  protection  if  they  settled  on  the  Tinjar.  It  was  a  ter- 
rible journey  for  the  poor  innocent  creatures,  loaded  down,  as 
they  were,  with  all  their  household  effects  and  retarded  in  their 
haste  by  the  care  for  the  women  and  children.  Many  of  them, 
I  was  told,  were  so  exhausted  that  they  actually  crawled  and 


'JAWA'   OR  PEACE-MAKING  1 25 

dragged  themselves  on  all  fours  down  the  hills  which  separate 
the  Rejang  and  Tinjar  valleys. 

The  Ibans,  consequently,  found  the  Leppu  Anan  houses 
deserted  and  stripped  of  everything  movable.  Whereupon,  not 
to  be  baulked  of  all  spoils  whatever,  they  attacked  some  of  the 
friendly  houses,  the  abodes  of  the  very  people  who,  on  their 
journey  up-river,  had  cheerily  and  kindly  wished  them  success 
in  their  head-hunting.  To  the  Bornean  a  head  is  a  head,  whether 
of  friend  or  foe ;  so  on  this  occasion  the  Ibans  returned  to  their 
homes  laden  with  spoils  of  their  friends  and  enriched  with  heads 
which  had  not  been  on  the  shoulders  of  those  against  whom  they 
had  set  out. 

The  Leppu  Anans,  in  their  new  house,  although  they  still 
harboured  the  small  clan  of  Lerons  who  had  vowed  vengeance 
on  Dr.  Hose,  nevertheless  regarded  Dr.  Hose  as  their  preserver, 
and  no  trouble  taken  in  his  behalf  could  be  too  great.  They  are 
quiet  and  gentle  in  their  manners  and  very  clean  in  their  persons 
and  about  the  house.  We  noticed  with  much  rehef  that  they 
did  not  throng  about  us,  asking  such  inane  questions  the  minute 
that  we  had  landed,  as,  '  When  did  you  arrive  ?  '  or,  when  help- 
ing us  to  disembark,  '  Did  you  come  in  a  boat  ?  ' — questions 
which  are  really  not  at  all  unusual  even  from  the  very  men  who 
have  been  paddling  your  boat  all  day  long.  Possibly,  true 
etiquette  demands  such  questions  among  the  natives  themselves, 
who,  for  some  occult  reason,  always  desire  their  actual  arrival 
and  departure  to  pass  unnoticed. 

These  Leppu  Anans  were  intensely  interested  in  my  photo- 
graphs, and  literally  climbed  on  each  other's  shoulders  to  see 
them.  In  their  anxiety  to  touch  the  page  itself,  they  nearly 
crushed  the  lucky  holder  of  the  book.  The  picture  which 
excited  their  unstinted  admiration  is  of  two  Ibans  bargaining  for 
the  sale  of  a  highly  prized  Chinese  jar  ;  they  read  the  meaning  of 
it  at  once,  explaining  it  over  and  over  to  each  other ;  but  opinion 
was  divided  as  to  the  balance  of  trade ;  some  thought  the  owner 
was  a  fool  to  refuse  the  pile  of  silver  dollars  which  the  purchaser 
was  offering,  while  others  contended  that  the  man  who  offered  so 
mean  a  sum  for  so  fine  a  jar  must  have  been  crazy.  (When  I 
showed  the  photograph  to  the  wife  of  the  man  who  had  posed 
for  me  as  the  owner,  she  was  extremely  indignant,  protesting  that 


126  HO  ME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

I  had  no  right  to  represent  Angas  as  such  a  fool  !  No  sensible 
man  would  ever  refuse  that  pile  of  money  for  such  a  common 
old  jar.  She  felt  actually  defrauded  of  all  that  wealth,  and  I 
am  sure  she  looked  on  me  as  a  thief.) 

At  noon  the  next  day  the  Peace-party,  which  we  had  left  to 
finish  up  the  '  seven  '  span  pig  at  Aban  Liah's,  came  up-river,  and 
we  all  set  out  together  on  the  last  stage  of  the  journey  to  Tama 
Aping  BuHng's. 

It  was  an  exciting  day's  travel ;  the  rapids  were  extremely 
swift,  and  the  Kayans,  Kenyahs,  Sibops,  Berawans,  Leppu  Anans, 
and  Lerons  became  inextricably  intermingled  in  forcing  their 
canoes  past  dangerous  rocks  and  through  narrows  where  the 
water  rushed  with  almost  irresistible  power.  Every  man  of  the 
large  assemblage  was  at  the  highest  tension  of  excitement  in 
anticipation  of  the  stirring  ceremonies  close  at  hand,  which  after 
all,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  by  the  merest  accident,  or  by  some 
trivial  flaw  in  etiquette  amid  so  large  a  body  of  hostile  clans, 
might  be  converted  to  bloody  battle. 

When  Tama  Bulan  was  forced  to  leave  us  and  turn  back  with 
his  sick  nephew,  he  provided,  with  usual  forethought,  a  small 
pig,  which  was  to  be  swiftly  forwarded  to  Tama  Aping  Buling's 
in  advance  of  the  Peace-party.  In  punctillious  observance  of 
native  customs  on  such  exalted  occasions  as  the  present,  the  pig 
must  be  sacrificed  on  the  beach  before  the  Kayans  and  Kenyahs 
disembarked.  We  were  positively  assured  by  Aban  Liah  on 
leaving  his  house,  that  the  piglet  had  been  sent  on  ahead  the 
night  before  to  Tama  Aping  Buling's  house  at  Long  Dapoi; 
wherefore,  when  the  Peace-party  arrived,  everything  would  be 
ceremoniously  carried  out.  Our  boat,  a  little  in  advance  of  the 
others,  was  gliding  smoothly  on  a  long  stretch  of  quiet  water 
just  above  turbulent  rapids,  when  we  were  met  by  some  men  in 
a  canoe  from  Tama  Aping  Buling's ;  a  short  excited  announce- 
ment from  them  revealed  to  us  that  all  was  not  going  rightly 
up-river ;  accordingly,  we  changed  to  their  lighter  boat,  and  sped 
up-stream,  leaving  our  luggage  and  the  Peace-party  to  follow 
as  they  could.  The  men  who  poled  the  canoe  could  talk  but 
very  little  of  any  language  but  Sibop,  so  we  hardly  knew  what 
was  amiss  until  we  arrived  at  the  house.  On  the  beach,  we  were 
met  by  Tama  Aping  Buling  himself,  almost  in  tears  ;  before  we 


IBANS    BARGAINING   OVER   THE   SALE   OF   VALUABLE   CHINESE   JARS. 

THE  OFFER  OF  FIFTY  MEXICAN  DOLLARS  IS  TREATED  WITH  HAUGHTY 
REFUSAL.  THE  TWO  MEN  POSED  THEMSELVES,  AFTER  MY  SUGGESTION,  FOR 
THE    SUBJECT    OF    THE    PICTURE. 


'yAlVA'   OR  PEACE-MAKING  12/ 

could  get  fairly  out  of  the  boat,  he  squatted  down,  and,  in  a  voice 
of  despair,  said,  '  Oh,  Tuan  Prenta,  what  shall  be  done !  No  pig 
has  been  sent  to  sacrifice  when  the  Kayans  arrive.  There  will  be 
war  instead  of  peace.'  It  was  even  so.  That  old  traitor,  Aban 
Liah,  had  purposely  kept  back  Tama  Bulan's  pig  in  order  that 
the  Peace-making  should  be  a  failure,  and  that  his  rival,  Tama 
Aping  Buling,  should  get  into  trouble.  Dr.  Hose  instantly 
turned  and  started  down-stream  to  meet  the  Kayans,  and  keep 
them  down-river  until  Aban  Liah  should  either  restore  the  pig 
or  procure  another  and  send  it  on  ahead  of  them.  Aban  Liah 
was  serenely  imperturbable  when  accused  to  his  face  of  the  theft 
of  the  pig,  and  of  his  plot  to  create  trouble ;  but  eventually  Dr. 
Hose's  unsparing  denunciation,  combined  with  the  sullen  threats 
of  the  tired  Kayans,  eager  for  the  comfortable  shelter  of  a  house 
for  the  night,  forced  him  actually  to  leave  the  party,  and  paddle 
off  down-river  to  buy  or  borrow  the  indispensable  little  pig. 

They  told  us  afterward  that  at  house  after  house  he  was 
rebuffed,  and,  although  there  were  plenty  of  pigs  everywhere, 
not  one  could  he  borrow,  beg,  or  steal,  so  universally  disliked 
was  he  for  his  mean,  tricky  ways.  Night  came  before  he  finally 
succeeded  in  procuring  the  sacrifice,  so  that  the  wearied  Kayans 
were  forced  to  sleep  in  their  canoes,  or  in  huts  of  boughs  which 
they  built  on  a  pebbly  island  in  midstream,  and  endure  a  drench- 
ing deluge  of  rain,  illumined  by  such  blinding  lightning  and 
deafening  thunder  as  only  the  Tropics  know. 

The  house  built  by  Tama  Aping  Buling  stands  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  river,  just  opposite  to  the  mouth  of  the  Dapoi,  a 
large  tributary.  It  is  about  two  hundred  feet  from  the  river,  on  a 
high  bank  which  slopes  gradually  to  a  wide  pebbly  beach.  The 
house  was  only  recently  finished  at  that  time,  and  had  cost  inter- 
minable labor ;  many  of  the  piles  whereon  it  was  built  were  at 
least  twenty  inches  in  diameter,  and  supported  the  floor  fully 
fifteen  feet  from  the  ground.  The  veranda  was  broad  and  well 
floored  with  wide,  hewn  planks,  and  roofed  with  shingles  of 
billian  wood,  not  nailed  to  the  rafters,  but  tied  on  with  strips  of 
rattan.  One  end  of  the  house  was  not  yet  quite  finished,  and 
shingles  only  partially  covered  it.  This  incomplete  state  was  not, 
however,  without  its  uses  ;  it  supplied  Tama  Aping  Buling,  while 
showing  his  house  to  us,  with  a  chance  to  make  a  remark,  which, 


128  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

hackneyed  and  threadbare  as  it  is  among  them,  is  always  uttered 
apparently  in  the  belief  that  it  will  be  received  with  all  the 
applause  of  a  novel  and  brilliant  idea.  With  a  wave  of  his  hand 
toward  the  roofless  rafters,  Tama  Aping  explained,  '  This  end  of 
the  house  is  occupied  by  Laki  Langit  and  his  children,'  which, 
interpreted,  means, '  Grandfather  Sky  and  his  children — the  stars  ! ' 
We  had  heard  the  witticism  so  often  that  it  was  hard  to  force  a 
smile, — but  we  did.  Let  him  among  us,  who,  in  describing  'full 
dress,'  has  never  called  it  '  war-paint '  or  '  best  bib  and  tucker,' 
cast  the  first  reproach  at  the  unsophisticated  Borneans. 

Early  on  the  following  morning  the  wee  pig  was  sacrificed 
on  the  beach  and  there  left  in  its  gore.  Such  a  sacrifice,  when 
made  in  ratification  of  a  compact,  renders  the  flesh  inedible  to 
all  participants  in  the  ceremony ;  hence  the  diminutive  size  of  the 
pig.  On  the  present  occasion  Aban  Liah's  enforced  pig  was  so 
extremely  small,  that  I  saw  a  lean  and  hungry  dog  seize  it  by 
the  head  after  the  sacrifice  was  over,  and,  slinging  the  body  over 
his  back,  make  off  toward  some  tall  grass,  where  he  probably 
devoured  the  whole  carcass  at  one  meal, — possibly,  at  one 
gulp. 

The  sacrifice  of  the  pig  was  certainly  a  beginning,  but  it  did 
not  seem  to  expedite  the  other  ceremonies  to  be  performed  in 
the  veranda  of  the  house.  The  Kayans,  never  enthusiastic  over 
this  Peace-making,  (which  is  not  a  fraternisation,  but  only  an 
agreement  not  to  kill  each  other  on  unprovoked  raids,)  were 
sulking  in  their  huts  on  the  karangans,  under  the  pretext  of 
drying  themselves.  All  the  while  Tama  Aping  Buling  and  his 
clan,  and  the  other  Tinjar  Chiefs  and  their  clans,  sat  wearily  wait- 
ing in  the  veranda  for  the  Kayans  to  appear.  There  were  several 
false  reports  that  they  were  coming,  and  each  time  the  host, 
Tama  Aping,  invariably  alleged  that  most  important  matters 
needed  attention  in  his  private  room,  and  as  invariably  had  to  be 
dragged,  trembling,  from  his  little  dark  sleeping-box,  where  he  was 
crouching,  to  attend  to  the  reception  of  his  guests.  One  cause 
of  Tama  Aping's  conduct  was  dread  lest  it  should  leak  out  that 
he  had  been  largely  instrumental  in  giving  the  Government  the 
information  which  eventually  led  to  the  detection  of  Tinggi  and 
his  brother,  Sidup,  both  of  whom  had  been,  in  point  of  fact,  at 
one  time  inmates  of  his  house;  should  this  treachery  become 


TAMA   APING    BULING'S   HOUSE   ON    THE   TINJAR. 

THE  SCENE  OF  THE  NOTABLE  PEACE-MAKING. 


•JAPVA'    OR  PEACE-MAKING  1 29 

known,  his  own  people,  even,  would  turn  against  him,  and  his 
life  would  not   be  worth  a  black  bead. 

The  forenoon  passed ;  the  day  wore  on  to  afternoon, — still  no 
Kayans ;  we  began  to  fear  that  they  had  turned  back  and  had 
given  up  all  idea  of  peace-making. 

Jamma  of  the  flabby,  unhealthy  lips,  talked  interminably,  and 
his  goggles  seemed  to  grow  bigger  and  his  jockey  cap  dirtier  every 
minute.  Tama  Talip  silently  munched  betel  nut,  and  squirted 
the  blood-red  juice  incessantly  through  a  crack  in  the  floor. 
Aban  Liah  was  depressed  in  spirit,  and  sat  sullenly  twisting  an 
extinguished  cigarette  between  his  fingers.  We  became  thoroughly 
wearied  of  the  whole  assemblage,  and,  unattended,  paddled 
across  the  river  to  a  grassy  point  where  we  could  watch  for  the 
coming  of  the  Kayans,  and,  at  least  for  awhile,  get  rid  of  the 
natives.  Even  this  watching  became  intolerable,  and  finally  we 
decided  to  go  up  the  clear  Dapoi  River  a  short  distance  and  take 
a  swim.  Of  course,  this  was  the  very  time  through  the  per- 
versity of  luck,  that  the  Kayans  decided  to  go  up  to  the  house, 
and  we,  unfortunately,  were  not  on  hand.  Kilup,  one  of  Tinggi's 
brothers,  took  it  upon  himself  to  be  the  leader  of  a  small  Jawa 
party,  and  did  not  even  wait  for  Juman  to  disembark  from  his 
canoe,  but  ran  full  speed  down  to  the  beach,  and  with  his  parang 
drawn, — a  violation  of  propriety  absolutely  forbidden  in  every 
well-conducted  Jawa — actually  chopped  at  Juman's  boat  and 
slashed  the  palm-leaf  covering.  They  told  us  afterward  that 
Juman  behaved  bravely,  and  sat  unmoved  in  his  boat, — his 
serenity  was  possibly  due  to  the  knowledge  that  the  '  snappang,' 
albeit  with  the  '  fever-stricken  engine,'  was  at  his  side,  and  that, 
if  necessity  arose,  its  discharge  would  prove  fatal  to  some  one, 
either  to  himself  or  to  Kilup.  By  the  time  we  returned  from  our 
bath  the  excitement  had  subsided,  but  none  the  less,  Tama 
Aping  Buling  remained  secluded  in  the  depths  of  his  private 
apartments.  Dr.  Hose  at  once  summoned  Kilup  before  him, 
and  incontinently  imposed  on  him  a  fine  of  one  tawak, — equiva- 
lent to  thirty  dollars,  a  really  heavy  fine.  Kilup  sat  unmoved 
during  his  sentence,  and  then  arose  slowly  and  swaggered  off 
to  his  room,  where  he  was  told  to  remain  until  sent  for,  under 
penalty  of  another  fine,  or,  possibly,  imprisonment  in  the  Baram 
Fort. 


I30 


HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 


The  Kayans  were  very  naturally  greatly  incensed  at  such 
treatment;  certainly  they  had  a  right  to  expect  a  little  more 
hospitality  after  their  dolorous  night  in  the  soaking  rain. 

By  way  of  precaution  against  too  much  zeal  in  the  approach- 
ing sham  fight,  we  made  the  Tinjar  people  place  about  half-way 
down  the  veranda  a  high,  square  platform,  used  ordinarily  as  a 
sleeping-shelf  for  guests  ;  this  would  tend  to  keep  the  two  forces 
apart  and  check  too  quick  an  onslaught.  When  this  was  done, 
Tama  Liri  was  deputed  to  go  down  to  the  river  and  conduct  the 
Kayans  to  the  veranda.  It  is  an  inexcusable  breach  of  decorum 
for  any  strangers  outside  the  house,  to  pass  in  front  of  a  Chief's 
door,  before  ascending  to  the  veranda;  guests,  therefore,  from 
down-river  should  enter  at  the  down-river  end  of  the  house,  and 
vice  versa.  Tama  Liri  knew  this  as  well  as  he  knew  his  name ; 
but,  solely  to  stir  up  more  trouble,  he  conducted  the  Kayans  who 
came  from  down-river  to  the  up-river  end  of  the  house,  which 
involved  a  direct  insult  to  Tama  Aping  Buling.  Of  course,  the 
Kayans  remonstrated,  but  too  late ;  and  then,  to  retrieve  the 
insult,  had  to  tramp  almost  the  whole  length  of  the  house  in  the 
mud  and  slime  beneath  the  veranda ;  this  added  fresh  fuel  to  the 
fire  already  burning  in  their  breasts. 

The  Lerons,  Sibops,  Berawans,  and  Leppu  Anans  gathered 
at  the  up-river  end  of  the  veranda,  to  await  the  entrance  of  the 
Kayans,  and  we  placed  ourselves  midway,  so  as  to  be  on  hand 
to  moderate,  if  possible,  too  realistic  a  sham  fight. 

The  Kayans  and  Kenyahs  came  quietly  up  the  notched  log, 
and  halted  in  a  close  crowd  until  the  last  man  had  fairly  entered 
the  veranda.  Standing  thus  within  the  house  of  one  who  had 
always  been  an  enemy,  and  confronting  their  deadly  foes,  it  is  no 
wonder  that  they  were  trembling  with  excitement ;  their  eyes 
were  glancing  suspiciously  in  all  directions  to  detect  any  signs 
of  treachery  or  the  sight  of  concealed  weapons.  Suddenly,  with 
one  impulse,  they  began  yelling,  stamping,  waving  their  arms, 
and  leaping  in  the  air.  Immediately  the  Tinjar  people  joined  in  ; 
in  a  second  the  whole  veranda  from  end  to  end  became  a  perfect 
pandemonium  of  shrieking,  frenzied,  gymnastic  savages.  Not  a 
step  did  they  advance  toward  each  other,  although  everywhere 
there  were  furious,  threatening  gestures. 

This  appalling  scene  was  kept  up  for  fully  a  minute,  and  then 


'JAWA'   OR  PEACE-MAKING  I3I 

the  frightful  turbulence  gradually  quieted  down.  Dr.  Hose  at 
once  seized  Juman  by  the  arm  and  led  him,  followed  by  his 
people,  right  in  among  their  bitter  enemies ;  then  glancing  round 
quickly  to  see  that  no  one  had  a  weapon  in  hand,  instantly  pro- 
posed that  they  should  all  once  more  jump  and  stamp  together, 
and  he  himself  led  off  with  a  resounding  stamp  and  a  terrific 
shout.  Juman  followed,  then  another  and  another,  until,  in  a 
trice,  once  more  the  house  was  trembling  beneath  them,  and  the 
rafters  echoing ;  but  this  time  friends  and  foes  were  almost 
shoulder  to  shoulder.  The  inanity,  I  think,  of  the  proceeding 
slowly  dawned  on  them ;  the  shouting  did  not  last  as  long  as 
before  ;  it  became  more  and  more  feeble  ;  at  last  it  ceased  sud- 
denly, and  they  all  sat  down.  Little  by  little  the  ice  of  mutual 
distrust  began  to  thaw ;  here  and  there  men  w'ho  had  been 
mortal  foes  were  sitting  cheek  by  jowl,  engaged  in  friendly  con- 
versation. 

At  this  stage,  it  was  the  host's  clear  duty  to  bring  out  his 
arrack ;  his  guests  might  at  once  have  pledged  each  other,  and 
friendship  might  have  been  cemented  ;  but  Tama  Aping  Buling 
was  in  his  sleeping-room,  probably  buried  beneath  a  pile  of  mats. 

Speeches  were  made  by  Jamma,  Aban  Liah,  and  Juman, 
but  they  lacked  earnestness  and  cordiality,  and,  at  their  con- 
clusion, the  pigs  whose  livers  were  to  foretell  the  issue  of  this 
Peace-making  and  the  futurity  of  the  participants,  were  dragged 
into  the  centre  of  the  assembly.  As  each  one  was  brought  in, 
it  was  harangued  by  the  Dayongs,  and  adjured  to  tell  the  truth 
and  to  intercede  with  the  Spirits  to  drive  out  all  animosity  from 
the  people  of  the  two  rivers.  The  largest  pig  was  reserved  as 
the  '  Government's  pig,'  and  had  been  selected  on  account  of  its 
size  and  beauty,  but  it  did  not  turn  out  to  be  exactly  what  the 
Government  would  have  chosen  as  its  fittest  representative.  It 
was  an  albino,  with  lack-lustre,  whitish  eyes  and  a  pale,  mottled 
snout ;  it  lay  so  still  that  I  half  expected  it  was  about  to  cheat 
the  sacrifice  by  dying  a  natural  death.  Of  course,  it  fell  to  Dr. 
Hose's  lot  to  exhort  this  pig  atite  mortem  to  proclaim  truthfully 
post  morton,  by  infallible  omens  in  its  liver,  whether  or  not  the 
Government's  course  was  right ;  but  he  gav^e  the  natives  clearly 
to  understand  that,  whatever  the  omens  might  be,  they  would 
not  in  the  least  influence  him  in  the  management  of  Government 


132 


HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 


affairs ;  and  that  he  followed  the  custom  merely  to  please  them. 
Thereupon,  he  prodded  the  pale-eyed  and  anaemic  pig  with  his 
foot,  to  arouse  its  earnest  attention,  but  no  responsive  grunt  nor 
indignant  squeal  came  from  that  cadaverous  representative  of  the 
Government ;  it  lay  imperturbably  still  and  blinked.  As  soon  as 
his  words  ceased,  the  pig  was  dragged  to  one  side,  its  throat  cut, 
and  its  liver  at  once  dexterously  extracted.  When  this  organ, 
which  proved  to  be  unusually  large,  was  passed  round  among 
the  Chiefs  and  among  those  who  were  skilled  in  the  interpretation 
of  auguries,  it  was  pronounced  with  one  accord  to  be  in  its  every 
aspect  most  favourable;  but,  in  an  unlucky  moment,  just  as  it 
was  about  to  be  taken  away,  some  one,  inquisitively,  lifted  one  of 
the  lobes  to  examine  the  under  surface,  and  instantly  a  convul- 
sive horror  and  shuddering  recoil  ran  through  the  whole  assem- 
blage,— a  large,  foul  abscess  was  disclosed ! 

Once  before,  on  this  expedition,  had  the  natives  been  shocked 
by  a  fateful  foreboding  of  death,  and  now,  for  a  second  time, 
in  yet  clearer  terms,  had  this  death-warrant  been  delivered.  On 
the  first  occasion,  at  Tama  Liri's  house,  their  horrified  eyes  had 
noted  a  deep  scar,  and  now  with  inexpressible  dismay  they  beheld 
a  corroding  ulcer. 

Dr.  Hose,  in  solemn  tones,  again  repeated  the  true  interpreta- 
tion of  the  blood-curdling  portent : — a  faithless,  scheming  Chief, 
who  was  secretly  hostile  to  the  Rajah  and  to  his  people,  would 
very  shortly  die  a  miserable,  inevitable  death  !  Again  the  liver 
was  passed  round  the  awe-stricken  circle ;  in  vain  they  sum- 
moned their  best  ingenuity  in  suggesting  a  less  dreadful  interpre- 
tation, but  it  was  only  too  clear  that  Dr.  Hose's  words  bore  every 
impress  of  truth. 

Old  Aban  Liah,  of  whose  hostility  to  the  Government  there 
had  been  such  recent  proofs,  sat  a  little  outside  the  circle,  and 
when  the  liver  with  its  death-warrant  was  passed  over  to  him,  he 
waved  it  aside,  and  in  tones  that  reminded  me  vividly  of  Shylock, 
and  almost  in  Shylock's  very  words,  said,  tremulously,  '  Let  me 
go  away  ;  I  am  not  well ;'  and  then  added,  apologetically  :  '  the 
smell  of  this  beastly,  warm,  raw  flesh  has  made  me  ill.  I  must 
go.'  And  he  got  up,  with  dazed  looks,  and  went  with  uncertain 
steps  to  his  room. 

An  hour  or   two  later,  in  the  evening,  some  of  his  friends 


■yAWA'    OR  PEACE-MAKING  1 33 

came  and  begged  me  to  go  see  him.  To  my  surprise,  I  found 
him  in  a  high  fever  and  semi-delirious.  I  directed  them  to  wrap 
him  up  warmly,  to  produce  a  sweat,  and  advised  them  to  remove 
him  to  his  own  home  as  soon  as  possible.  I  supposed  that  he 
would  be  all  right  in  the  morning,  when  the  effects  of  the  feasting 
at  his  house  the  day  before  had  passed  off.  I  never  dreamed 
that  his  illness  would  have  a  fatal  termination. 

Neither  Aban  Liah's  sudden  illness,  nor  his  absence,  interfered 
with  the  Peace-making.  Kilup  was  summoned  from  his  room, 
and  in  the  presence  of  the  assembled  tribes  he  was  given  such  a 
vehement  rating  by  the  Government  that  he  probably  remembers 
it  to  this  hour,  and  he  was  furthermore  warned  that  even  threat- 
ening language  was  punishable. 

Still  no  arrack  was  broached,  nor  feast  spread.  At  the 
slightest  noise  or  excitement,  off  sped  Tama  Aping  Buling  to  his 
room,  and  there  remained  in  seclusion  until  all  was  again  quiet. 
He  had,  in  truth,  more  cause  for  alarm  than  the  others  ;  his  wife, 
his  children,  and  all  the  women  of  the  household  were  depend- 
ent on  him  for  protection  in  any  outbreak  of  hostility ;  his  guests 
had  to  look  but  after  their  own  safety ;  these  guests  were  now 
peaceable,  but  in  a  flash  they  might  become  mortal  foes  in 
deadly  conflict. 

Old  Jamma  was  always  to  the  fore,  talking  incessantly  and 
making  effusive  attempts  to  ingratiate  himself  with  everybody; 
but  if  all  present  shared  my  feelings,  his  thick,  everted  lips,  and 
eyes  distorted  behind  those  prodigious  goggles,  would  have 
checked  every  throb  of  sympathy.  Furthermore,  he  had  un- 
accountably changed  his  jockey  cap  for  a  war-cap  of  Tiger  skin, 
with  which  he  fairly  terrified  the  Kayans.  A  skin  of  the  great 
tiger  is  something  so  terrible  to  many  of  the  natives  that  they 
dare  not  even  touch  it ;  an  oath  bound  by  a  tiger's  tooth  or 
tiger's  skin  is  one  of  their  most  solemn  pledges.  The  Kenyahs 
and  Sibops  are  the  only  tribes  who  may  touch  a  Tiger's  skin 
with  impunity. 

It  was  not  until  afternoon  had  deepened  into  night  that  the 
feast  and  the  arrack  were  brought  out.  The  roar  that  went  up 
when  Juman  drained  the  first  cup  could  have  been  heard  certainly 
for  a  mile,  and  the  stamping  was  stupendous.  In  fact,  under  the 
weight  of  the  three  hundred  jumping  men,  the  floor  sagged  fully 


134 


HOME-LIFE   OF  BORNEO    HEAD-HUNTERS 


six  inches,  and  the  huge  piles,  whereon  the  house  was  built, 
swerved  and  sank  deeper  into  the  earth.  Thus  it  went  on,  one 
toast  after  another,  and  roar  upon  roar ;  then  they  made  speeches 
fervid  with  alcohol.  Jamma  talked  rank,  open  treason  when  his 
tongue  was  loosened,  and  claimed  the  whole  Tinjar  River  as  a 
direct  inheritance  from  his  Uncle,  Aban  Jau ;  the  Rajah  had  no 
right  to  be  there,  and  the  Government  obstructed  instead  of 
helped  the  people.  Very  little  attention,  however,  was  paid  to 
him,  either  by  the  assemblage,  or  by  Dr.  Hose,  a  neglect  which 
cut  him  deeply ;  he  ached  to  be  of  sufficient  importance  to 
receive  a  rebuke  from  the  Government,  but  Dr.  Hose  merely 
replied,  *  We  must  all  bear  in  mind  the  source  whence  these 
silly  remarks  come ;  I  think  you'll  all  agree  that  they  are  not 
of  the  slightest  consequence.' 

The  drinking,  the  stamping,  and  the  shouting  were  kept  up 
throughout  the  night,  and,  to  our  great  content,  the  Kayan 
guests  behaved  well  and  restrained  themselves  within  bounds. 
Jamma  and  his  clan  were  the  only  flagrant  offenders,  talking 
treason  and  indulging  in  threats. 

A  smell  of  fermented  arrack,  stale  fumes  of  rank  tobacco, 
maudlin  gabble  from  drunken  men,  the  snarling  and  yelping  of 
dogs,  the  clucking  and  cackling  of  poultry,  the  wailing  of  chil- 
dren, and  the  ciying  of  babies,  pervaded  the  world  into  which 
we  awoke  in  Tama  Aping  Buling's  house  the  morning  after  the 
great  Peace-making  carouse. 

Suddenly,  above  all  sounds,  arose  repeated,  piercing  shrieks 
from  terror-stricken  women,  excited  shouting  of  men,  slamming 
of  doors,  and  the  clatter  of  bare  feet  fleeing  over  the  loose,  rat- 
tling boards  of  the  veranda.  The  master  of  the  house  flung 
himself,  trembling,  into  our  room  and  breathlessly  announced 
that  one  of  his  men,  overcome  by  the  night's  debauch,  had  gone 
'  amok ' — as  he  said, — and,  armed  with  parang  and  shield,  had 
sworn  to  hack  in  pieces  all  whom  he  met ;  he  was  now  rushing 
from  room  to  room  slashing  right  and  left  at  the  terrified  and 
fugitive  inmates.  Two  or  three  brave  men  had  climbed  to  the 
loft  above  the  partitions  between  the  private  rooms,  and,  with 
poles,  were  trying  to  beat  down  and  disarm  the  maniac  and 
lasso  him  with  loops  of  rattan. 

A   man   who   run^    amok   both   expects  and    desires  to   be 


'JAWA'   OR  PEACE-MAKING  1 35 

killed,  but  endeavors  to  slaughter  beforehand  as  many  victims 
as  possible.  Dr.  Hose  caught  up  a  long  and  heavy  pestle  used 
for  husking  rice,  and  u'e  all  hurried  out  in  the  veranda,  armed 
with  our  revolvers,  to  assist  in  the  capture  of  this  most  dangerous 
ruffian  ;  and,  since  he  desired  to  be  killed,  we  were  quite  ready  to 
gratify  him.  Just  as  we  came  opposite  the  room  from  which  the 
maniac  had  driven  the  occupants,  frantic  with  terror,  the  man 
himself  rushed  forth  directly  in  front  of  Dr.  Hose,  but  the  latter 
was  ready  for  him  with  a  greeting  which  was  as  well-directed  and 
cordial  as  it  was  unexpected.  By  one  waive  of  the  long  pestle, 
his  shield  was  instantly  thrust  aside,  and  there  followed  a  discon- 
certing and  most  demorahsing  prod  full  in  the  pit  of  the  stomach. 
All  his  valiant  '  amok '  collapsed,  and,  with  eyes  rolling  in  his 
head,  he  staggered  back  through  the  doorway  and  plumped 
down,  with  a  flop,  on  the  floor.  Instantly  the  men  overhead, 
with  their  rattan  loops,  had  him  encircled  round  the  waist,  and  a 
vigorous  pull  suspended  him  in  mid-air  from  a  cross-beam ; 
with  their  poles  they  knocked  the  weapons  from  his  hands,  and 
then,  like  a  spider  with  a  fly,  they  had  him  quickly  swathed  with 
rattans  and  bound  hand  and  foot.  The  next  thing  was  to  take 
him  to  his  own  room,  and  leave  him  thus  confined  until  he  had 
recovered  his  senses.  But  while  they  were  carrying  him  thither, 
the  ever-officious,  and  withal  treacherous,  Jamma,  staggered 
impetuously  forward,  and,  vehemently  insisting  that  the  maniac 
should  be  set  free,  actually  began  to  grapple  with  the  carriers. 
In  a  twinkling,  his  wrist  was  seized  by  Dr.  Hose,  and  he  was 
whirled  round ;  then,  after  executing  an  astonishing  and  dizzy 
pirouette,  he  lost  his  balance  and  went  skimming  along  the  floor, 
until,  with  a  reverberating  thump,  his  head  struck  the  wall,  and 
he  lay  motionless.  Some  friends  ran  to  him  and  propped  him 
up.  He  made  no  attempt  to  rise,  but  only  blinked  his  blood-shot 
eyes,  denuded  for  once  of  the  goggles,  and  kept  gasping,  panting 
forth :  '  Why  did  the  Government  strike  me  ?  Why  did  the 
Government  strike  me  ?  '  Finding  his  question  unanswered,  he 
lapsed  into  silence,  and  put  in  practice  the  ingenious  idea  of 
feigning  death,  wherein  he  was  much  helped  by  a  sudden  rush 
of  alcoholic  fumes  to  his  head.  His  nephew  and  a  few  devoted 
friends  lost  not  an  instant's  time  in  laying  out  the  corpse,  and, 
seated  beside  the  limp  body,  immediately  struck  up  a  funeral 


136  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

wail  over  his  sad,  untimely  demise.  It  really  seemed  possible 
that  the  man  might  be  dead,  so,  at  Dr.  Hose's  request,  I  exam- 
ined him,  but  no  trace  of  injury  could  I  find  on  the  corpse  but  a 
severe,  darkly  coloured  bruise  on  its  forehead ;  when,  however, 
this  bruise  was  bathed  with  arnica,  I  noticed  that  it  wholly  dis- 
appeared, and  the  discoloration  was  transferred  to  the  absorbent 
cotton,  and  that  the  skin  presented  an  unbroken  surface.  When 
I  attempted  to  examine  his  eyes,  the  wrinkled  resistance  of  the 
lids  showed  me  his  inflexible  determination  to  remain  dead. 

Disgusted  with  the  whole  household,  we  had  our  luggage 
incontinently  carried  down  to  the  boats ;  then,  after  speeding  the 
Kayans  and  Kenyahs,  now  in  a  benign  and  peaceful  mood,  on  their 
homeward  journey,  the  Great,  Historic,  Ceremonial  Peace-making 
came  to  an  end.  It  had  been  a  veritable  and  a  notable  success 
throughout ;  old  scores  had  been  settled  by  exchange  of  Usut 
and  by  the  Jawa,  and  return  visits  had  been  planned  ;  barring 
Aban  Liah's  antagonism  and  illness,  Kilup's  bad  behavior,  and 
the  incident  with  Jamma  just  related,  everything  had  gone  off 
more  smoothly  than  we  had  any  reason  to  expect,  considering  the 
undiciplined,  grown-up  children  with  whom  we  had  to  deal.  We 
were,  nevertheless,  truly  glad  to  be  rid  of  the  responsibility  of  a 
party  so  large,  and  of  material  so  inflammable. 

We  decided  to  continue  our  journey,  and  ascend  the  Dapoi 
River,  to  visit  some  Punans, — a  nomadic  tribe,  who  had  recently 
encamped  near  the  head-waters  of  the  stream. 

Just  as  we  were  pushing  off  in  our  canoe,  a  wild  figure,  with 
arms  waving,  and  face  distorted  with  malignant  rage,  dashed 
down  the  log-walk  to  the  beach  ;  there  it  turned  and  faced  the 
house.  It  was  Jamma,  the  corpse.  Snatching  off  his  war-cap 
of  Tiger  skin,  he  waved  it,  backward  and  forward  above  his  head 
with  frantic  gestures,  toward  the  house.  We  did  not  care  to  wait 
for  the  upshot  of  these  remarkable  antics,  but  pursued  our  tran- 
quil course  up  the  Dapoi,  inhaling  peace  and  repose  beneath  the 
over-arching  boughs  festooned  with  ferns  and  orchids. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  we  landed  at  the  house  of  Tama  Balan 
Deng,  a  Sibop  Chief,  who  received  us  kindly,  and  most  hospitably 
gave  up  to  us  his  own  room,  wherein  throughout  every  minute 
of  the  entire  night  we  were  the  objects  of  awestruck  curiosity  to 
his  whole  household,  the  larger  part  of  whom  had  never  before 


SIBOP   WOMEN    AT   THE    HOUSE   OF  TAMA   BALAN    DENG. 


'JAWA'    OR  PEACE-MAKING  1 37 

seen  a  white  man  ;  they  sat  immovably  huddled  together  at  one 
side  of  the  room,  and  were  the  last  objects  that  we  saw  on  going 
to  sleep,  and  when  we  awoke  at  dawn  they  were  noiselessly 
creeping  away. 

Early  in  the  day,  to  our  surprise,  Tama  Aping  BuHng  arrived 
in  his  canoe,  in  a  state  of  painful  excitement  over  Jamma's  con- 
duct of  the  day  before,  whose  antics  were  now  explained.  As 
soon  as  we  had  left,  the  old  rascal,  tired  of  being  a  corpse,  fell 
into  a  violent  rage  with  the  universe,  and  had  stormed  down  to 
the  beach,  and  there  had  cursed  with  his  awful  Tiger  skin  cap 
every  bit  of  timber  in  the  house,  together  with  all  its  inmates,  big 
and  little,  old  and  young,  and  all  the  Kayans,  root  and  branch, 
who  had  been  in  it,  and  ended  up  with  the  white  men  who  had 
half-killed  him.  The  house,  as  I  said  above,  had  just  been  built, 
at  a  cost  of  infinite  labor  and  great  expense  ;  but  after  such  a 
blood-curdling  curse  had  been  launched  at  it,  to  Tama  Aping 
Buling's  superstitious  mind,  the  domicile  was  for  ever  banned  and 
ruined.  The  object  of  the  poor  fellow's  hurried  visit  was  to  ask 
Dr.  Hose  if  he  did  not  think  it  best  that  the  whole  structure 
should  be  immediately  destroyed;  it  took  much  serious  argu- 
ment from  Dr.  Hose  to  dissuade  the  disconsolate  Tama  Aping 
from  the  determination  to  empty  his  house  of  all  movables  and 
then  set  fire  to  it. 

This  account  of  Jamma's  malevolence  did  not  exhaust  Tama 
Aping's  budget.  He  brought  the  latest  news  of  Aban  Liah, 
w'hom  we  had  last  seen  stricken  down  by  the  dreadful  omen  in 
the  pig's  liver.  The  most  skilful  Dayongs  had  been  summoned  to 
keep  the  soul  of  the  old  Berawan  Chief  from  wholly  deserting 
his  body,  and,  at  last  reports,  they  had  grave  doubts  as  to  their 
success  in  finding  whither  it  had  temporarily  flown,  unless  several 
additional  parang  blades  and  three  or  four  more  bolts  of  cloth 
were  given  to  them,  wherewith  they  could  bribe  the  Spirits  who 
were  luring  far  away  the  soul  of  Aban  Liah ;  they  were  sorely 
afraid  that,  in  spite  of  all  their  exertions,  the  soul  would  evade 
them  and  slip  off  to  Bulun  Matai.  We  despatched  the  necessary 
spiritual  bribes,  and  then  continued  our  journey  to  the  home  of 
the  Punans. 

Four  days  afterward,  when  we  left  the  Dapoi  and  again  turned 
into  the  Tinjar,  we  stopped  at  the  scene  of  the  Great  Peace-mak- 


138  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

ing,  and  there  we  learned  the  end  of  Aban  Liah's  tragic  story. 
The  fate  foretold  so  clearly  by  the  Hver  of  the  Government's 
albino  pig  had  been  fulfilled.  The  conscience-stricken  soul  of  the 
faithless  Aban  Liah  had,  indeed,  departed  to  the  Fields  of  the 
Dead.  From  the  moment  that  he  saw  that  ulcerous  liver,  and 
realized  its  plain  indication  to  himself  he  sickened,  became  deli- 
rious, and  within  forty-eight  hours  was  dead  ! 

There  happened  to  be  in  one  of  the  boats  of  our  party  an  old 
woman,  a  distant  relative  of  Aban  Liah,  and  when  the  news  of 
his  death  was  first  shouted  to  us  from  a  boat  which  we  met  on  the 
river,  this  old  creature  withdrew  a  short  distance  from  the  bank, 
and,  squatting  down  on  the  sand,  proceeded  to  emit  a  solo  of 
heart-rending  wails  for  the  dead,  rehearsing  his  good  qualities  in 
a  jerky  and  descending  chromatic  scale,  beginning  at  high  C  and 
ending  when  her  breath  gave  out ;  then,  after  a  deep  inspiration, 
the  wailing  strain  was  resumed.  All  the  while  she  was  glancing 
around  to  see  the  effect  it  had  upon  us,  and  also  to  see  what  was 
going  on  up  and  down  the  river  while  she  was  busy  in  sorrowing 
for  the  defunct ;  she  knew,  quite  as  well  as  we,  what  a  thorough- 
paced old  rascal  he  was,  and  how  far  better  it  was  for  all  his 
household  that  he  was  dead  and  out  of  the  way.  When  she  had 
reeled  off  a  due  amount  of  profound  sorrow,  she  re-embarked, 
and  was  as  chatty  and  gay  as  possible  until  we  reached  the  dead 
Chief's  house ;  there  it  behooved  her  to  roar  again  for  appear- 
ance's sake.  We  went  up  to  the  house  of  mourning  to  pay  our 
respects  to  the  household  and  be  witness  to  their  grief.  At  the 
hour  of  our  arrival,  there  happened  to  be  a  lull  in  the  wailing, 
but  the  appearance  of  visitors  of  such  august  importance  at  once 
demanded  a  resumption,  not  only  of  gong-beating,  but  also  of 
the  recitation  of  the  estimable,  noble  character  of  the  departed. 
The  obtrusive  old  Jamma  was  again  to  the  fore,  all  animosity 
forgotten  in  his  eagerness  to  display  his  extreme  grief;  out  of 
respect  for  the  dead  he  had  discarded  his  jockey  cap  and  goggles. 
Several  other  Chiefs  from  neighbouring  houses  and  ourselves 
were  led  to  places  of  honor  in  front  of  the  bier,  whereon  lay 
Aban  Liah,  sealed  up  in  a  coffin  hewn  out  of  Durian  wood.  The 
bier  was  draped  with  some  cotton  cloth,  which  we  recognized  as 
that  which  we  had  sent  as  a  bribe  to  the  Spirits,  and  on  posts 
at  the  four  corners  were  hung  the  Chief's  most  valuable  beads, 


"jfAWA'   OR  PEACE-MAKING  1 39 

his  parang,  shield,  and  spear,  and  a  number  of  musical  instru- 
ments ;  it  was  expected  that  he  would  hold  a  high  position 
among  the  minstrels  and  warriors  in  Bulun  Matai.  As  soon  as 
the  chief  men  had  conducted  us  to  our  places,  they  squatted 
beside  us,  and,  covering  their  faces  with  their  hands  to  hide  the 
scalding  tears  that  did  not  flow,  they  began  to  moan  and  groan 
in  a  style  which  was,  perhaps,  quite  as  symbolical  to  them  of  true 
sorrow  as  black  crape  and  nodding  plumes  are  to  us. 

At  this  moment,  the  women  of  the  dead  man's  immediate 
family  issued  from  his  private  room,  clad  in  high-pointed  yellow 
hoods  of  bark-cloth,  which  flowing  down  enveloped  them  from 
head  to  foot ;  they  gathered  about  the  head  of  the  coffin,  and 
wailed  to  the  accompaniment  of  several  deep-toned  gongs.  This 
same  rite  had  been  repeated  for  every  visitor  who  had  come  to 
the  Chief's  house  since  his  death  ;  they  were  in  good  practice. 
All  members  of  the  household  were  in  their  dirtiest  and  most 
worn-out  habiliments ;  every  ornament  had  been  discarded ;  gir- 
dles of  beads  had  been  replaced  by  belts  of  twisted  rattan,  and 
weights  made  of  pebbles  wrapped  in  bark-cloth  had  been  substi- 
tuted for  metal  ear-rings ;  many  of  the  men  and  some  of  the 
women  had  smeared  themselves  with  soot  from  the  cooking- 
pots,  and  no  one  had  bathed  in  the  river  since  the  demise  of  the 
Chief,  four  or  five  days  before.  They  were  certainly  repulsive  in 
appearance.  This  wailing  lasted  but  a  scant  five  minutes,  and 
then  the  women  retired,  and  the  men  withdrew  their  hands  from 
their  eyes ;  of  course,  not  a  tear  had  been  shed.  With  the  elas- 
ticity of  youth, — for  they  are  all  mere  children, — they  were  at 
once  interested  in  hearing  of  the  expedition  we  were  about  to 
make  to  the  summit  of  a  mountain  near  by,  and  were  laughing 
and  joking  over  the  Ghosts  and  Sprites  that  we  were  sure  to 
meet  in  that  mysterious  moss-jungle  continually  shrouded  in 
mists. 

It  is  the  custom  among  the  Berawans  to  keep  a  corpse  in  the 
house  for  several  months,  varying  the  length  of  time  in  accord- 
ance with  the  rank  or  wealth  of  the  deceased ;  sometimes  the 
body  may  have  to  remain  unburied  until  after  the  harvest.  On 
the  third  or  fourth  day  after  death,  the  body  is  squeezed  into  a 
large  jar,  which  has  been  carefully  cut  apart  at  its  largest  diam- 
eter, so  that  the  body  does  not  have  to  be  forced  through  the 


I40  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

narrow  neck.  It  is  in  the  lower  half  that  the  corpse  is  placed  in 
a  cramped,  squatting  position ;  the  upper  half  is  then  fitted  on 
tightly,  and  the  crack  sealed  up  with  resinous  gum.  The  jar  is 
then  placed  in  a  corner  of  the  veranda,  and  a  pipe  of  hollow 
bamboo  is  inserted  to  drain  off  to  the  ground  below  the  fluids 
resulting  from  decomposition.  It  occasionally  happens  that 
gases  accumulate  inside  the  jar,  and  cannot  escape  through  the 
tube,  owing  to  a  stoppage,  and  then  an  explosion  follows. 

The  Berawans  believe  that  shortly  after  death  the  spirits  of 
the  dead  return  from  Bulun  Matai,  to  see  that  their  relatives  and 
friends  are  displaying  the  due  amount  of  grief  by  performing  the 
proper  ceremonies.  Should  a  spirit  find  that  it  has  been  neglected 
and  forgotten,  it  curses  the  culprits,  and  they  become  blind,  deaf, 
or  lame.  If  all  has  been  done  to  show  befitting  grief  and  respect, 
— if  the  mourners  have  been  on  a  raid  and  secured  a  nice  head 
wherewith  to  decorate  the  grave  or  the  household  hearth, — ^then 
the  spirit  retires  to  the  nether  world,  never  again  to  return. 

In  former  days,  on  the  death  of  any  influential  Chief,  if  his 
people  were  either  too  lazy  or  too  cowardly  to  go  head-hunting, 
a  male  or  female  slave  was  purchased  and  sacrificed  in  honor  of 
the  dead.  From  near  and  far,  friends  were  invited  to  take  part 
in  the  high  ceremony.  When  the  poor  wretch  of  a  slave  was 
thrust  into  a  cage  of  bamboo  and  rattan,  he  knew  perfectly  well 
the  death  by  torture  to  which  he  was  destined.  In  this  cage  he 
was  confined  for  a  week  or  more,  until  all  the  guests  had  assem- 
bled and  a  feast  was  prepared.  On  the  appointed  day,  after 
every  one  had  feasted  and  a  blood-thirsty  instinct  had  been 
stimulated  to  a  high  pitch  by  arrack,  each  one  in  turn  thrust  a 
spear  into  the  slave.  No  one  was  allowed  to  give  a  fatal  thrust 
until  every  one  to  the  last  man  had  felt  the  delight  of  drawing 
blood  from  living,  human  flesh.  We  were  told  by  the  Berawans 
that  the  slaves  often  survived  six  or  seven  hundred  wounds,  until 
death  from  loss  of  blood  set  them  free.  The  corpse  of  the  victim 
was  then  taken  to  the  grave  of  the  Chief,  and  the  head  cut  ofl" 
and  placed  on  a  pole  overhanging  the  grave.  Frequently,  some 
of  the  guests  worked  themselves  into  such  a  blood-thirsty  frenzy 
that  they  bit  pieces  from  the  body,  and  were  vehemently  ap- 
plauded when  they  swallowed  the  raw  morsel  at  a  gulp. 

It  is,  probably,  in  conformity  with  the  same  idea  of  a  head- 


'JAWA'   OR  PEACE-MAKING  I4I 

hunt  in  honor  of  the  memory  of  the  deceased,  that  the  tribe  of 
Malanaus,  on  their  return  from  a  burial,  engage  in  a  mock  battle 
with  those  who  remained  behind  to  guard  the  house,  and  throw 
at  them  mud  and  imitation  javelins  made  of  light  pith. 

The  body  of  Aban  Liah,  although  a  Berawan,  was  not  placed 
in  a  jar,  but,  as  I  have  said,  in  a  coffin,  and  would  be  kept  in  the 
house,  so  they  told  us,  for  three  months,  until  the  end  of  the 
harvest.  The  people  darkly  hinted  at  the  absolute  necessity  of 
their  obtaining,  at  that  time,  a  fresh  human  head.  But  Dr.  Hose 
warned  them  of  the  sure  consequences  following  every  violation 
of  the  solemn  compact  and  rites  of  peace  which  they  had  just 
concluded. 

We  left  them  in  their  grief,  and  set  out  on  our  trip  to  the 
summit  of  Mt.  Dulit,  one  of  the  lofty  range  that  forms  the  water- 
shed between  the  Rejang  and  the  Baram  Rivers.  When  we 
turned  into  the  little  stream  that  flows  down  the  side  of  the 
mountain,  we  noticed  lying  on  one  of  the  banks  the  huge,  stately 
Durian  tree,  (worth  a  livelihood  to  a  whole  household  on  account 
of  its  much-prized  fruit,)  which  had  been  already  cut  down  just  to 
make  a  monumental  support  for  the  coffin  of  the  good-for-nothing 
old  Aban  Liah.  The  giant  pole  was  to  be  elaborately  carved  and 
painted,  and,  when  the  Chief's  body  was  ready  to  be  placed  in 
position,  this  huge  trunk  would  be  erected  near  the  bank  of  the 
river,  a  little  below  his  house. 

Whatever  might  have  been  its  origin,  it  is  not  now  easy  to 
determine  what  emotion  it  is  which  prompts  the  Borneans  to  deco- 
rate elaborately  the  depositories  of  their  dead ;  at  first  glance,  it 
seems  as  if  it  must  be  affectionate  remembrance  and  a  devotion 
to  the  habitation  of  the  soul  even  after  the  soul  has  left  it.  But, 
certainly  among  the  Borneans,  demonstrative  affection  is,  I  should 
say,  an  exceedingly  rare  trait ;  their  lives  are  almost  as  purely 
individual  and  selfish  as  are  the  examples  Nature  sets  before 
them  at  every  turn  in  the  jungle.  During  the  time  that  a  child 
is  still  nursing  at  the  mother's  breast,  there  is  that  instinctive, 
protective  parental  affection  observable  in  all  mating  animals ; 
but  after  the  child  is  weaned  and  is  able  to  toddle,  it  is  allowed 
to  ramble  pretty  much  where  it  will,  and  to  take  its  educational 
bumps  and  tumbles  without  parental  worry.  Mother  Nature  pro- 
vides the  only  clothes  it  wears,  and,  after  her  own  healing,  scari- 


142 


HO  ME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 


fying  fashion,  darns  and  patches  the  rents  and  tears  that  they 
may  receive.     Among  the  young  boys  and  girls  there  is  a  sort 
of  playmate  affection,  whenever  self-sacrifice  is  not   necessary, 
and  where  the  one  who  plans  the  game  or  sport  always  expects 
to  be  and  is  the  principal  player.     Between  adults,  be  they  the 
nearest  of  kin  or  be  they  even  lovers,  I  think  I  am  safe  in  saying 
that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  unselfish  love;  a  youth  would 
never  think  of  resigning  a  comfortable  place  in  a  boat  to  his  father, 
or  to  his   mother,  or  to  his  sister,   or  even   to  his   sweetheart. 
When  a  man  comes  back  from  a  long,  and  perhaps  dangerous, 
expedition,  he  does  not  fall  into  the  arms  of  his  family  amid  tears 
of  joy  and  welcome ;  but  he  walks  up  the  notched  log  and  stalks 
along  the  public  veranda,  looking  neither  to  the  right  nor  to  the 
left  until  he  deposits  his  burden  opposite  his  own  door,  and  there 
he  sits  down,  lights  a  cigarette,  and  tries  to  act  and  look  as  if  he 
had  just  come  in  from  the  rice-field  after  a  day's  work.*     There 
is  not  a  greeting  of  any  kind  whatsoever  exchanged  on  either 
side  ;  but  after  a  while,  and  little  by  little,  an  admiring  group  of 
men  and  boys  gather  round,  and  slowly  he  unbends,  telling  scraps 
of  news  about  friends  or  foes  in  the  country  whence  he  is  come, 
until  at  last  he  is  haranguing  the  people  and  acting  '  Sir  Oracle  ' 
in  the  centre  of  a  circle  of  gaping  mouths  and  unwinking  eyes. 
It  is  the  same  were  he  about  to  start  off  on  an  expedition  ;  no 
kerchiefs  are  waved  to  him  nor  do  eyes  stream  with  tears  as  his 
canoe  pushes  off  from  the  shore ;  he  goes  down  to  the  boat  with 
his  parcels  in  just  the  same  matter-of-fact  manner  as  if  he  were 
only  going  to  cross  the  river  for  fire-wood.     I  have  seen  Bornean 
mothers,  fathers,  and  sweethearts,  part  from  those  who  ought  to 
have  been  dear  to  them,  and  who  were  about  to  set  out  on  dis- 
tant expeditions  of  a  peaceful  nature,  or  on  long  war  expeditions 
of  a  dangerous  nature,  but  I  remember  only  one  solitary  instance 
where  there  were  any  tears  or  the  slightest  show  of  reluctance 
at  parting ;  that  one  instance  was  the  parting  of  a  sister  from  a 
brother  who  had  come  over  on  a  visit  to  the  house  into  which 
she  had  married  quite  recently.     The  woman  in  this  case  did 
really  show  a  downright  love  for  her  snaggle-toothed  and  hideous 
brother ;  she  hung  upon  his  neck,  sobbing  and  wailing,  trying 
her  best  to  hold  him  back,  and  pleading  with  him  not  to  go ;  he 
*See  also,  to  the  same  eifect,  The  Golden  Bough,  vol.  i.,  p.  26. 


GRAVE   OF   THE   WIFE  OF   ORANG    KAYA   TEMANGANG    LAWI. 

THE  CORPSE  WAS  PLACED  IN  A  SQUATTING  POSITION  IN  A  DEEP  PIT, 
HOLLOWED  OUT  AT  THE  UPPER  END  OF  THE  COLUMN  AND  COVERED  OVER 
WITH  A  LARGE  TRIANGULAR  SLAB  OF  WOOD,  CUT  FROM  THE  ROOT  OF  A  BUT- 
TRESS TREE.  THE  ORNAMENTATION  IS  COMPOSED  OF  WHITE  CHINA  BOWLS 
AND  PLATES,  FASTENED  ON  WITH  GUTTA-PERCHA. 


'yAWA'    OR  PEACE-MAKING  I43 

patted  her  on  the  shoulder,  seemed  very  self-conscious  and  ex- 
ceedingly bored ;  finally,  extricating  himself  rather  rudely  from 
her  arms,  he  stalked  toward  the  notched  log  and  descended, 
looking  straight  in  front  of  him.  Possibly  it  was,  on  the  woman's 
part,  more  homesickness  than  love  for  her  brother.  From  the 
Arctics  to  the  Tropics,  be  it  ever  so  humdrum,  there's  no  place 
like  home. 

Among  certain  tribes,  the  body  of  a  Chief  swathed  in  cloths 
is  placed  within  the  upper  end  of  a  tree  trunk  hollowed  out  for 
the  purpose,  and  a  large  slab  of  wood  cut  from  a  '  buttress  tree ' 
is  fastened  on  top.  The  photograph,  on  the  opposite  page,  is 
that  of  the  grave  of  a  Chief's  wife,  and  I  am  sure  that  in  its 
erection  and  ornamentation  no  jot  of  affection  was  felt  by  the 
husband,  Temangang  Lawi,  than  whom  no  more  heartless  old 
head-hunter,  and  slayer  of  women  and  children,  exists  in  Borneo. 
His  only  idea  in  spending  so  much  time  and  money  on  the  grave 
of  his  wife  was  his  own  glorification.  The  white  spots  on  the 
column  are  china  bowls  and  saucers  stuck  on  with  damar  gum ; 
the  flags  and  streamers  on  top  are  strips  of  white  and  red  cloth, 
possibly  to  keep  off  birds  of  prey ;  possibly  a  remnant  of  the 
Mongolian  idea  that  anything  moving  and  fluttering  in  the  wind 
attracts  or  distracts  the  attention  of  the  Spirits. 

Again,  other  tribes  enclose  their  dead  in  coffins  which  are 
placed  in  miniature  houses  on  the  top  of  high  poles,  sometimes 
on  single  poles,  again  on  two  or  even  four  poles.  These  little 
houses  are  decorated  with  open-work  carving  along  the  ridge- 
pole and  down  the  angles  of  the  roof,  and  with  painting  on  the 
sides.  Not  infrequently  small  wooden  figures  of  men  are  placed 
standing  on  the  roof  or  climbing  up  the  poles  ;  possibly,  these  are 
effigies  of  the  slaves  which  in  former  times  were  sacrificed  at  the 
burial. 

Natural  surroundings  and  the  habitations  of  the  living  have, 
of  course,  a  great  influence  on  the  methods  of  disposing  of  the 
dead.  In  mountainous,  stony  districts,  the  primitive  form  of 
burial  is  apt  to  be  in  cairns  or  in  caves  ;  in  lowlands,  where  land 
is  swampy,  burial  in  trees,  out  of  the  way  of  beasts  of  prey,  is 
adopted.  In  those  districts  of  Borneo  where  the  jungle  is  so 
dense  that  it  is  well-nigh  impossible  to  dig  a  grave  through  the 
impenetrable,  interlocking  roots  of  trees,  a  burial  on  poles  follows 


144 


HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 


of  necessity.  Where  the  river-banks  are  constantly  changing 
with  every  freshet,  burial  in  such  soft  soil  would  not  be  perma- 
nent. I  think,  therefore,  that  it  is  more  than  likely  that  burial  on 
high  pedestals  was,  in  the  first  instance,  a  result  of  natural  sur- 
roundings, and  the  elaborate  decorations  are  for  the  glorification 
of  the  living,  and  not  for  the  dead.  In  Borneo,  there  are  no 
carnivorous  animals  to  dig  up  bodies,  but  it  is  by  no  means 
unknown  that  men  exceedingly  anxious  to  win  admiration  as 
head-hunters  obtain  from  graves  the  coveted  prize,  be  it  of 
friend  or  of  foe ;  therefore,  the  more  inaccessible  the  body,  the 
less  is  the  likelihood  that  the  market  for  heads  will  become  over- 
stocked. In  the  Naga  Hills  of  Eastern  Assam,  where  the  natives 
live  in  communities  much  like  the  Borneans,  some  of  the  tribes 
bury  their  dead  in  the  village  streets ;  others  dig  graves  just  out- 
side the  door  of  the  house,  or,  when  the  body  is  perhaps  that 
of  a  young  unmarried  girl  or  a  child,  the  grave  is  made  even 
inside  the  door.  There  was  I  acknowledge,  much  pathos  in  the 
explanation  once  given  to  me  by  a  Naga,  whose  child  was  buried 
inside  his  house,  that  if  his  little  girl  were  buried  out  in  the  jungle 
or  under  the  open  sky,  she  would  be  '  very  much  frightened  at 
night.'  The  simple  and  unostentatious  mounds  made  by  the 
Nagas  over  their  dead,  bear  more  evidence,  I  think,  of  their 
affection  than  do  the  gaudily  decorated  tombs  erected  by  the 
tribes  of  Borneo,  and  yet  in  their  daily  lives  the  Nagas  are  not 
one  whit  more  demonstrative  than  the  Borneans. 

When,  after  two  days  of  hard  climbing  through  virgin  jungle, 
we  reached  the  topmost  peak  of  Dulit,  which  is  almost  exactly 
five  thousand  feet  high,  dense  clouds  shut  off  our  view  of  the 
valley  below,  but  the  last  rays  of  the  sun  were  slanting  through 
endless  aisles  and  marvellous  recesses  of  emerald  moss,  and 
from  far  below,  and  beneath  the  clouds,  came  the  dull  booming 
of  a  deep-toned  tawak  from  the  house  of  the  dead  Aban  Liah, 
announcing  fresh  mourners  at  his  coffin. 

The  great  Peace-party  had  at  least  brought  peace  to  that 
scheming,  turbulent  old  soul,  whose  body  now  rests  in  the  valley 
of  the  Tinjar. 

On  the  opposite  page  is  a  photograph  taken  on  the  summit 
of  Mt.  Dulit.     The  heavy  drapery  which  covers  every  tree  and 


THE    MOSS-COVERED   JUNGLE   ON    THE   SUMMIT   OF   MT.    DULIT. 

SPHAGNOUS  MOSS  AND  OVERGROWN  LYCOPODIUMS  COVER  THE  GROUND 
AND  ENVELOPE  EVERY  TWIG  AND  BRANCH,  TRANSFORMING  THE  JUNGLE  INTO 
A  LABYRINTH  Oh  ALLEYS  AND  GROTTOS,  DRIPPING  WITH  MOISTURE  AND  LIT 
BY  FLECKS  OF  SUNLIGHT,  WHICH,  FALLING  UPON  THE  SPARKLING  DROPS^ 
ILLUMINE    THESE    SILENT    DEPTHS    WITH    A    SOFT,    GREEN    LIGHT. 


'JAWA'    OR  PEACE- MA  KING  1 45 

branch,  almost  every  leaf,  is  a  sphagnous  moss,  breast-high  and 
many  feet  in  thickness.  I  beseech  the  reader  to  summon  to  his 
memory  the  most  vivid,  emerald  green  he  has  ever  beheld ;  and 
then  intensify  it  by  a  cloudless,  tropical  sun,  at  high  noon  ;  and 
then,  in  addition  to  this,  let  every  burnished  leaflet  glow  and 
sparkle  with  myriads  of  iridescent  drops  fed  by  the  warm, 
heavy  mists  which  constantly  sweep  over  the  mountain. 

No  words  can  describe  the  endless  shades  of '  greenth  '  which 
are  revealed  in  the  vistas  formed  by  overhanging  masses,  where 
here  and  there  the  rays  of  the  sun  pierce  the  cavernous  recesses; 
of  which,  most  assuredly,  this  is  the  first  photograph  that  has 
ever  been  taken. 
10 


PERSONAL   EMBELLISHMENT 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  third  day  of  our  journey  up  the 
Baram,  to  visit  Tama  Bulan,  far  in  the  interior  of  Borneo,  we 
stopped  at  a  long-house,  and  as  I  saw  the  women  descend  on 
their  errand  to  the  river  for  water  I  was  utterly  amazed  at  their 
costume,  and  rubbed  my  eyes  to  make  sure  I  was  not  dreaming. 
I  looked  and  rubbed,  and  rubbed  and  looked  !  It  was  no  illusion  ! 
The  women  who  were  descending  the  long  notched  logs  to  the 
river's  edge  wore  on  their  thighs  and  legs  beautiful  blue  silk 
tricots  or  '  tights,'  of  an  elaborate  open-work  pattern !  and  on 
their  hands  and  forearms  deHcate  black  silk  mits !  I  was  not 
prepared  for  this  elegant  toilette  in  the  Jungle,  and  my  bewil- 
dering amazement  continued  until,  on  nearer  inspection,  I  found 
that  the  airy  tracery  which  I  had  mistaken  for  silken  tights  was 
tattooing. 

I  will  not  enter  on  any  discussion  of  the  origin  or  purpose  of 
tattooing : — whether  or  not  it  began  in  the  mark  which  God  set 
on  Cain  after  the  killing  of  Abel,  or  as  to  its  religious,  or  tribal, 
or  social  purposes,  but  will  simply  set  forth  the  customs  in  regard 
to  it  as  I  observed  them  among  the  Kayans  and  Kenyahs,  the 
patterns,  and  the  mode  of  performing  it.  Inasmuch  as  the  details 
will  be  dry  and  extremely  uninteresting,  and,  in  reference  to  the 
patterns,  given  with  minuteness,  because  these  patterns  are  in 
their  general  features  almost  immutable  and  are  supposed  to  be 
symbolic,  I  would  advise  my  readers  to  skip  the  following  pages, 
and  examine  only  the  photographs,  merely  premising  that, 
since  Nature  has  inscribed  at  the  entrance  to  the  Torrid  Zone, 
*  All  clothes  abandon,  ye  who  enter  here,'  I  fancy  no  one  will 
dispute  that,  as  a  substitution  for  clothes,  pervasive  tattooing 
provides  a  device  both  attractive  and  modest. 

The  tattoo-marks  on  the  Kayan  men  are  small  in  size,  and 
confined  to  certain  portions  of  the  body.     There  are  only  four  or 

146 


BATU-YOUNGEST   SON    OF   THE    KAYAN    CHIEF   OYONG    LUHAT. 

HIS  TATTOOING  IS  CHARACTERISTIC  OF  THE  KAYANS  OF  THE  BARAM  DIS- 
TRICT, EXCEPT  THAT  HIS  HANDS  DO  NOT  BEAR  THE  MARKS  DENOTING  A 
SUCCESSFUL  HEAD-HUNTER;  THE  TIGER-CAT'S  TEETH  IN  HIS  EARS  SHOW, 
HOWEVER,  THAT  HE  HAS  BEEN  ON  HEAD-HUNTING  EXPEDITIONS  AND  HAS 
ATTAINED  THE  RANK  OF  A  WARRIOR.  AFTER  THE  EAR  HAS  BEEN  STRETCHED 
TO  THE  DESIRED  LENGTH,  ONE  SMALL  COPPER  RING  IS  USUALLY  ALL  THAT 
IS  WORN,  MERELY  TO  KEEP  THE  LOBE  FROM  CONTRACTING.  THE  BANDS 
BELOW  HIS  KNEES  ARE  OF  FINELY  BRAIDED  FERN-ROOT,  AND  ARE  KNOWN 
AS  'UNUS';  OCCASIONALLY  THEY  ARE  OF  STRIPS  OF  RATTAN  BOUND  WITH 
BRASS  WIRE.  UNUS  ARE  UNIVERSALLY  WORN  BY  THE  MEN,  AND  THEY 
THINK    THAT    WITHOUT    THEM    A    MAN    LOOKS    EXCEEDINGLY    NAKED. 


ijiaman-jufe 


PERSONAL  EMBELLISHMENT 


147 


five,  and  they  are  placed  on  the  thighs  either  in  front,  below 
the  groin,  or  on  the  outer  surface,  just  below  the  hip-joint,  and 
on  the  flexor  surface  of  the  forearm.  The  designs  consist  of 
extremely  conventionalised  representations  of '  dogs,'  '  scorpions,' 
and  the  '  head  of  a  prawn  ;'  these  are  the  native  names  given  to 
the  different  patterns ;  in  none  of  them  is  it  possible  to  recog- 
nise the  animal  after  which  it  is  named. 

Professor  Alfred  C,  Haddon,  whose  opinion  commands  all 
respect,  has  expressed  to  me  the  extremely  ingenious  explanation, 
that,  notwithstanding  the  native  names,  all  these  patterns  represent 
the  head  of  a  dog.  To  this  I  modestly  and  most  humbly  demur, 
and  incline  to  the  belief  that  it  is  rather  the  head  of  that  animal 
which  enters  so  largely  into  all  their  ceremonials,  namely,  the 
pig.  Dogs,  on  the  other  hand,  are  treated  by  all  Borneans  uni- 
formly with  great  contempt.  It  may  be  noted,  furthermore,  that 
this  same  pattern,  whatever  be  its  origin,  enters  into  all  Kayan 
decoration,  whether  of  doors,  of  beams,  of  implements,  of  bead- 
work,  or  of  graves. 

The  patterns  are  selected  purely  according  to  fancy,  and,  as 
far  as  I  could  ascertain,  serve  solely  as  personal  embellishment. 
The  only  mark  which  is  really  a  male  distinction  is  placed  on 
the  back  of  the  hands  and  fingers  after  a  man  has  taken  a  head. 
The  designs  on  the  hands  of  these  men  are  always  very  indistinct, 
owing  to  the  constant  exposure  and  rough  treatment  to  which 
the  tattooing  is  necessarily  subjected  before  it  is  thoroughly 
healed  ;  hence  the  lines  become  faint  and  merge  into  one  another, 
so  that  the  appearance  of  a  head-hunter's  hands  reminds  one 
forcibly  of  Edward  Lear's  nonsensical  Jumblies,  whose  '  heads 
were  green  and  their  hands  were  blue,  and  they  went  to  sea  in  a 
sieve.'  I  never  saw  a  head-hunter's  hands  that  were  freshly 
tattooed,  nor  did  I  ever  see  the  stamps  wherewith  these  designs 
are  marked  out.  I  am,  therefore,  unable  to  give  a  description  of 
these  important  marks  further  than  that  the  backs  of  the  hands 
appear  to  be  covered  with  narrow  parallel  lines  running  trans- 
versely, and  the  knuckles  and  their  interspaces  are  covered  with 
triangles  with  base  and  apex  alternating ;  on  the  joints  of  the 
fingers  are  oblong  patches  of  solid  black. 

The  tattooing  on  the  men,  except,  of  course,  the  badge  of  a 
head-hunter,  is  done  at  about  the  age  of  puberty.     It  is  not  at 


148  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

all  a  ceremony ;  the  youth  himself  decides  when  it  shall  be  done 
and  selects  the  pattern.  In  many  tribes  allied  to  the  Kayans,  in 
the  Dutch  possessions  in  South  Borneo,  some  of  the  men  are 
far  more  elaborately  tattooed  than  the  Kayans  and  Kenyahs 
of  Sarawak,  and  extend  the  tattooing  to  the  chest  and  back,  and 
even  to  the  cheeks  and  neck ;  but  these  elaborately  tattooed  men 
are  the  exceptions  and  not  the  rule  in  their  tribe,  and  the  marks 
are  by  no  means  as  characteristic  as  are  the  *  dog,'  *  scorpion,' 
and  '  prawn  '  of  the  Baram  Kayans.  The  Dayaks,  or,  properly 
speaking,  the  Ibans  (the  name  Dayak  is  a  mere  Malay  name, 
meaning  *  up-river  people,'  and  never  used  by  the  natives  them- 
selves to  whom  it  is  applied)  tattoo  on  the  wrists,  forearms, 
chest,  neck,  and  thighs,  but  never  in  large  designs.  On  the 
chest,  and  on  the  point  of  the  shoulder,  they  bear  many-pointed 
stars,  with  a  spiral  sometimes  double  and  interlocking  in  the  cen- 
tre. On  the  throat  I  have  often  observed  narrow  zig-zag  lines 
connecting  two  designs  like  the  escapement  wheel  of  a  watch. 
The  zig-zag  lines,  they  said,  represent  chains,  but  why  a  chain 
should  be  appropriate  for  the  neck  they  did  not  say.  The  stars 
on  the  chest  and  shoulder,  some  maintained,  represent  flowers ; 
others  said  they  were  silver  dollars.  With  the  exception  of  the 
few  links  of  chain  on  the  front  of  the  throat,  they  do  not  seem  to 
aim  at  the  representation  of  ornaments,  such  as  necklaces,  brace- 
lets, anklets,  etc.  In  addition  to  these  marks  on  the  chest,  arms, 
and  neck,  a  very  common  position  for  a  small  design  is  directly 
on  the  prominent  end  of  the  ulna  at  the  wrist ;  almost  every  Iban 
has  over  this  prominence  a  small  star,  or  a  wheel-like  design,  with 
radii  extending  beyond  the  circumference. 

Far  more  elaborate,  on  the  contrary,  is  the  tattooing  of  Kayan 
women,  which,  in  the  case  of  married  women,  invariably  covers  the 
thighs,  legs,  forearms,  hands,  and  feet. 

On  the  arms,  it  extends  from  the  second  joint  of  the  fingers, 
(whereon  is  a  simple  black  patch  about  a  half  inch  square,)  to 
just  a  little  below  the  bend  of  the  elbow.  The  knuckles  and 
intervening  hollows  are  decorated  with  a  row  of  solid  black 
triangles  with  base  and  point  alternating ;  on  the  back  of  the 
hand  are  four  small  ovals  surrounded  by  five  concentric  ovals, 
the  outer  four  merging  into  the  contiguous  series,  so  that  the 
upper  and  lower  arcs  form  merely  wavy  lines.     This  row  of  con- 


TATTOO    DESIGNS   USED    BY    IBANS   OF   THE    REJANG   AND 
BY    KENYAHS   OF   THE    BARAM. 


IBAN.     'KALA,'    THE    SCORPION,— ON    THE    OUTERSIDE   OF    THE    THIGH. 

•TAIA  GASING,'  THE  COTTON   SPINNER,— ON  THE  ULNAR  SIDE  OF  THE 
WRIST,    EXTENDING    UP    THE    ARM. 

ON    THE    FRONT    OF    THE    THROAT. 

ON    THE    FRONT    OF    THE    THROAT. 

■KALA,'    THE    SCORPION,— ON    THE    OUTERSIDE    OF    THE   THIGH. 

'BUAH  ANDU,"   THE    ANDU  (?)    FRUIT,— ON    THE    SHOULDER   IN   FRONT. 

•TALI    SABIT,'— ALONG    THE    RIBS. 
KENYAH.      'ASU,'    THE    DOG,— ON    THE    FOREARM. 

■KALA    ASU,'    THE    SCORPION    DOG,— ON    THE    FOREARM. 
IBAN.      'BUAH    ANDU,'— ON    THE    SHOULDER    IN    FRONT. 

'LUKUT,'— ON    THE    POINT    OF    THE    SHOULDER. 

■TANDAN    BUAH,'    THE    TANDAN    (?)    FRUIT,— ON    THE    CHEST. 
KENYAH.     ON    THE    BACK    AND    FRONT    OF    A    WOMAN'S    FOREARMS. 
IBAN.     -BUNGA  TRONG,'  THE  TRONG    (?)    FLOWER,— ON    THE  SHOULDER. 
KENYAH.      'KALA    ASU,'— ON    THE    FOREARM    OR    THIGH. 
IBAN.     'RINGGIT    SALILANG,'— ON    THE    CHEST    OR    BREASTS. 


TATTOO     DESIGNS     ON      THE     FOREARMS     OF     KAYAN     AND     KENYAN     WOMEN. 
COPIED    FROM    THE    ARM    OF    A    WOMAN     IN    TAMA    BULAN'S    HOUSEHOLD. 


PERSONAL  EMBELLISHMENT 


149 


centric  ovals  is  enclosed  in  a  border  of  five  lines,  following  the 
margin  of  the  back  of  the  hand  below  the  knuckles  to  the  wrist. 
On  the  back  of  the  wrist  is  another  row  of  four  concentric 
ovals  ;  above  these,  nine  narrow  lines  and  then  two  rows  of  five 
concentric  ovals  alternating  with  bands  composed  of  five  narrow 
lines.  Above  these,  again,  are  intertwining  zig-zags  and  scrolls 
composed  of  seven  lines ;  this  pattern,  they  told  me,  represents 
the  root  of  the  Tuba-plant,  which  is  used  in  drugging,  or  poison- 
ing, the  water  to  get  fish.  The  concentric  ovals,  so  they  say,  are 
pictures  of  the  moon.  It  is  barely  possible  that  an  explanation 
of  this  frequent  figure  of  the  moon  is  to  be  found  in  a  remark 
made  to  me  by  a  tattooer,  that  when  a  woman  died  and  passed  to 
the  next  life,  '  her  tattooing  becomes  luminous  like  a  fire-fly's 
light,  and  that  without  it  she  would  wander  in  total  darkness.' 
Above  the  Tuba  pattern  are  eleven,  sometimes  more,  finely 
waving  lines  completely  encircling  the  arm,  like  rings.  From 
these  rings  to  the  wrist,  along  both  sides  of  the  arm,  is  a  nar- 
row recurrent  line  making  four  laps  on  itself,  and  dividing  the 
patterns  on  the  flexor  and  extensor  surfaces  of  the  arm. 

On  the  flexor  surface  of  the  arm,  the  pattern  begins  at  the 
wrist  with  a  row  of  triangles  like  those  on  the  knuckles  ;  then  a 
band  of  narrow  lines  and  two  large  concentric  moons  ;  above 
these,  a  large  triangle  whose  sides  and  base  are  composed  of 
seven  narrow,  parallel  lines, — this  represents  the  spring  bow- 
piece,  affixed  to  a  canoe  when  shooting  rapids  ;  above  this,  two 
more  large  moons  and  then  the  band  of  rings  around  the  arm. 

These  patterns  vary  to  a  slight  extent  in  different  households, 
but  the  main  features  are  always  present ;  the  concentric  ovals 
may  be  replaced  by  a  spiral  coil  surrounded  by  radiating  lines ; 
or  the  twists  and  zig-zags  of  the  Tuba-root  may  be  arranged 
according  to  the  artistic  ability  of  the  operator.  The  concentric 
moons  are,  however,  considered  a  higher  grade  of  work  than 
the  spiral  coils. 

The  pattern  on  the  thighs  extends  externally  from  the  level 
of  the  hip-joint  to  the  calf  of  the  leg  ;  it  consists  of  four  panels, 
each  enclosed  in  a  border  of  five  delicate  and  parallel  lines.  At 
the  top  of  these  panels  are  conventionahsed  designs  of  *  scorpions,' 
of  '  dogs,'  or  of  the  *  heads  of  prawns ;'  at  least  they  closely 
resemble  these  patterns  in  the  tattooing  of  the  men.     Beneath 


ISO 


HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 


these,  are  small  Tuba-root  designs,  and  then  a  chain  of  interlock- 
ing diamonds,  whereof  the  smaller  and  underlying  diamonds 
have  their  vertical  apices  terminating  in  little  hooks  and  curves ; 
these,  they  assert,  represent  a  creeping  vine  with  hooked  tendrils, 
like  many  of  the  palms  and  rattans.  Round  the  calf  is  a  series 
of  rings,  sixteen,  more  or  less,  in  number,  which  completely 
encircle  the  leg  like  the  rings  on  the  forearm.  Directly  down 
the  back  of  the  thigh,  from  the  fold  of  the  gluteus  muscle  to  the 
rings  on  the  calf  of  the  leg,  a  strip  about  an  inch  wide  is  left 
blank ;  this  is  an  invariable  feature,  but  they  could  give  me  no 
explicit  explanation  of  its  meaning.  Dr.  Hose  expressed  to  me 
his  belief  that  the  natives  considered  this  space  to  be  necessary 
in  order  that  the  '  blood  might  run  up  and  down.'  On  several 
occasions  I  tried  to  verify  this  interesting  explanation,  sedulously 
avoiding  all  leading  questions,  but  always  failed  to  elicit  satisfac- 
tory answers.  It  would  be  remarkable  should  it  prove  that  they 
knew  anything  about  the  circulation  of  the  blood.  As  far  as  my 
observation  goes,  even  the  most  experienced  old  Dayong,  who, 
as  an  hanispcx,  must  cut  up,  yearly,  hundreds  of  pigs  and  fowls 
and  examine  their  internal  organs,  has  not  the  slightest  accurate 
knowledge  of  the  function  of  any  organ,  not  even  of  the  heart. 
By  one  tattooer  I  was  assured  that  if  this  space  were  not  left 
unmolested  the  leg  would  swell  excessively  and  the  tattooing 
prove  a  failure.  It  is  not  impossible  that  she  had  herein  found 
the  true  reason  for  this  '  safety  valve,'  as  it  were,  of  healthy  skin. 
When  a  limb  is  girdled  with  tattooing,  done  under  such  septic 
conditions  as  always  obtain  in  Borneo,  the  inflammation  and 
swelling  are  very  considerable  ;  the  skin  becomes  tense  and  non- 
elastic,  and  if  there  be  no  healthy  area  of  elastic  skin  whereby  to 
relieve  tension,  consequences  might  prove  serious. 

The  markings  on  the  feet  are  plain,  broad  stripes  running  from 
the  bend  of  the  ankle  in  front,  over  the  dorsum  of  the  foot, 
following  the  metatarsal  bones  to  the  toes;  these  stripes  are 
interrupted  once,  dividing  off  the  upper  third  over  the  instep. 
There  is  also  an  oblong  patch  of  black  on  the  second  joint  of 
each  toe. 

The  persistence  of  the  Tuba-root  design  in  all  of  these 
patterns  is,  possibly,  due  to  the  fact  that  Tuba-fishing  is  consid- 
ered more  or  less  a  feminine  sport,  although  men  participate  in  it 


TATTOOING  ON    THE  FOREARMS  AND  FEET  OF  A  KENYAN    WOMAN. 


PERSONAL  EMBELLISHMENT  151 

and  do  the  greater  part  of  the  work ;  nevertheless,  it  is  the 
only  sport  wherein  women  join,  and  it  is  always  a  picnic  and 
jollification. 

The  conjecture  may  be  hazarded  that  the  bands  of  rings  close 
to  the  elbow  and  around  the  calf  of  the  leg  may  possibly  repre- 
sent the  '  Unus,'  or  rings  of  braided  fern-root,  worn  by  men  and 
boys.  The  wavy  lines  look  much  like  the  impressions  which 
these  narrow  braids  make  in  the  skin. 

The  tattooing  of  girls  is  begun  when  they  are  about  four 
or  five  years  old;  the  fingers  and  toes  and  knuckles  are  then 
decorated  with  the  squares  and  the  triangles,  but  here  the  process 
ceases  until  the  girls  become  of  marriageable  age,  when  the 
tattooing  of  arms,  and  next  of  legs,  is  completed. 

In  connection  with  the  operation  of  tattooing  (which,  by  the 
way,  they  call  '  Bityek,' — a  disyllabic  Bii-yek),  there  seems  to  be 
no  particular  lali  or  taboo  ;  no  objection  to  spectators  was  ever 
made  either  by  the  operator  or  by  the  patient ;  nor  at  being  photo- 
graphed was  there  shown  any  more  than  the  usual  reluctance. 

As  an  indispensable  preliminary,  before  the  skin  is  touched, 
several  beads  must  be  given  to  the  operator,  who  may  not  keep 
them  all,  but  must  hand  over  some  to  the  '  Toh,' — the  demons 
who  are  always  lurking  about  to  see  that  the  rules  of  the  house 
are  obeyed.  It  is  lali  to  draw  human  blood  in  a  house  unless 
the  Toh  be  previously  informed  that  it  is  for  a  lawful  purpose. 
Some  of  the  beads  are,  therefore,  flung  broadcast  out  of  doors, 
for  the  Toh  to  gather  up  at  their  leisure.  The  girl  is  put  on  no 
special  diet  while  undergoing  the  operation. 

All  tattooing  is  done  by  women,  (be  it  remembered  that  I  am 
here  speaking  only  of  the  Kayans,)  who,  as  far  as  I  could  ascer- 
tain, have  no  privileged  position  in  the  communit)',  nor  is  any 
qualification  demanded  of  them  other  than  artistic  taste  and 
manual  skill.  The  office  is  not  hereditary,  although  it  often  hap- 
pens that  the  profession  descends  from  mother  to  daughter, 
merely  because  the  daughter  from  an  early  age  is  employed  as 
an  assistant,  and  thereby  acquires  a  familiarity  with  the  process, 
and  naturally  inherits  her  mother's  instruments. 

The  pattern  to  be  tattooed  is  marked  out  on  the  skin  by 
means  of  wooden  stamps  whereon  the  raised  patterns  have  been 
carved  out,  leaving  the  designs  in  high  relief;  these  stamps  are 


152 


HOME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 


inked  and  pressed  on  the  skin,  leaving  a  print  which  sufficiently 
guides  the  operator.     For   tattooing,  three  needles   are   bound 

tightly  together,  and  inasmuch  as  it  is 
considered  advisable  to  force  them  ob- 
liquely into  the  skin,  they  are  inserted 
slightly  slantwise  in  the  head  of  the 
wooden  holder  (shaped  somewhat  like 
a  hammer),  and  enveloped  in  gutta- 
percha to  about  an  eighth  of  an  inch 
from  their  points,  which  holds  them 
firmly  in  place  and  regulates  the  depth 
to  which  they  may  penetrate  the  skin. 
Not  infrequently  the  handle  and  the 
head  of  the  needle-holder  are  orna- 
mented with  carving. 

The  ink  is  made  of  the  juice  of 
sugar-cane,  thickened  with  the  soot  of 
damar  gum ;  it  is  kept  in  a  bowl  of 
soft  wood,  wherein  the  needles  can  be 
dipped  without  dulling  the  points  ;  and 
finally  the  operator  provides  several 
pieces  of  soft  bark-cloth  for  wiping 
away  the  blood,  which  flows  profusely. 
All  these  instruments  are  usually  kept 
in  a  cob-webby,  sooty,  blood-smeared 
box;  but  as  heirlooms  and  tools  they 
are  of  almost  priceless  value. 

During  the  operation  the  girl  sits  or 
lies  upon  the  floor;  beside  her  squats 
the  operator,  with  her  toes  pressing 
upon  the  skin  to  be  tattooed ;  an  assist- 
ant on  the  opposite  side  keeps  the  skin 
stretched.  At  the  edge  of  the  design 
marked  out  by  the  wooden  stamp  is 
placed  a  roll  of  soft  bark-cloth,  so 
thick  that  w^hen  the  handle  of  the 
needle-holder  rests  upon  it  the  needles 
exactly  touch  the  skin.  The  needles,  well  dipped  in  the  ink, 
carry  enough  fluid  to  tattoo  lines  several  inches  in  length.     Using 


Kayan    Tattooing    Instrament 
Two-thirds  of  the  natural  size. 


TATTOOING    A    KAYAN    GIRL. 

WHILE  THE  SKIN  IS  KEPT  TENSE  BY  THE  HANDS  OF  AN  ASSISTANT  AND 
BY  THE  FEET  OF  THE  TATTOOER,  THE  DESIGN,  WHICH  HAS  BEEN  MARKED 
ON  THE  SKIN  WITH  INK-SMEARED  WOODEN  STAMPS,  IS  PRICKED  IN  BY  TAP- 
PING ON  THE  BACK  OF  THE  NEEDLE-HOLDER  WITH  AN  IRON  OR  A  WOODEN 
BEATER. 


PERSONAL  EMBELLISHMENT  1 53 

the  roll  of  cloth  as  a  rest,  the  operator  follows  out  the  de- 
sign and  punctures  the  skin  to  a  proper  and  uniform  depth  by 
means  of  quick  taps  with  a  small  iron  rod  on  that  portion  of  the 
handle  which  rests  on  the  roll.  The  assistant,  following  the  track 
of  the  needles,  wipes  away  superfluous  ink  and  blood.  {Experto 
crede,  when  I  say  that  the  pain  of  the  Kay  an  operation,  even  for 
small  designs,  is  veiy  considerable  ;  when  endured  for  more  than 
an  hour,  it  becomes  torture.  Having  also  experienced  for  many 
consecutive  hours  the  Japanese  method,  I  can  affirm  that  in  com- 
parison the  Kayan  verges  on  the  inhuman.)  A  roll  of  bark-cloth 
or  a  stick  is  held  by  the  victim,  and,  as  an  anaesthetic  during 
the  operation,  clutched  with  desperate  strength.  (The  photo- 
graph herewith  given  necessarily  had  to  be  taken  in  a  very 
dark  room,  A  magnifying  glass  will  greatly  assist  an  examina- 
tion of  the  details.) 

Of  course,  the  complete  pattern  on  women  is  never  finished 
at  one  sitting  ;  it  would  involve  more  suffering  than  can  be  borne 
without,  perhaps,  serious  shock ;  but  the  martyrdom  is  often  en- 
dured for  a  couple  of  hours,  and  then,  to  fill  in  chance  gaps  and 
weak  places,  that  which  has  been  already  pricked  in,  and  is 
become  an  exquisitely  tender  welt,  is  mercilessly  jabbed  and 
hammered  over  again,  not  only  once  but  even  twice.  The  instant 
that  the  poor  wretch  of  a  girl  is  released  from  the  hands,  and 
toes,  of  her  tormentor,  she  runs  with  the  swiftness  of  agony  to 
the  river,  there  to  soothe  with  the  cool  flowing  water  the  fright- 
ful, burning  ache.  The  absorption  of  so  much  foreign  matter  by 
the  lymphatics  often  induces  high  fev^er ;  suppuration  also  not 
infrequently  results  from  the  septic  manner  in  w^hich  the  opera- 
tion is  performed ;  this  naturally  injures  the  sharpness  of  the 
lines.  After  one  session,  the  tattooing  is  not  resumed  until  the 
skin  is  entirely  healed,  unless  an  approaching  marriage  necessi- 
tates the  utmost  speed ;  should  a  woman  have  a  child  before  her 
tattooing  is  completed,  she  is  lastingly  disgraced.  The  Kenyah 
women  are  tattooed  only  on  the  forearms  and  hands  and  on  the 
dorsum  of  the  foot,  not  on  the  legs  or  thighs. 

Woe  worth  the  behests  of  Bornean  fashion !  Tattooing  is  not 
the  only  torture  that  the  Kayan  or  Kenyah  damsel  must  endure 
who  would  fain  be  a  belle  ;  her  ear-lobes  must  be  pierced  and 
stretched  with  weights  until  they  hang  down  to  her  very  bosom 


i 


154  HOME-LIFE   OF  BORNEO   HEAD-HUNTERS 

in  long,  slim  loops  of  skin.  One  evening,  in  Tama  Bulan's  house, 
I  was  entertaining  his  daughter,  Bulan,  with  the  pictures  in  some 
illustrated  papers  that  I  had  brought  with  me,  and  was  trying  my 
best  (my  fluency  in  Malay,  at  that  time,  was  limited)  to  make 
them  intelligible  to  her.  As  I  have  mentioned  above,  she  was 
filled  with  boundless  amazement  at  the  slim  and  wasp-like  waists 
of  the  women,  and  utterly  failed  to  understand  how  any  woman 
could  endure  the  hourly  suffering  entailed  by  being  horribly 
squeezed  in  by  steel  bands,  which,  I  managed  to  tell  her,  were 
the  secret  of  the  extraordinary  and  unnatural  shape.  But  while 
in  the  very  act  of  gazing  and  marvelling  at  these  pictures  of 
what  rational  human  beings  will  suffer  in  order  to  appear  more 
beautiful,  she  was  herself  constantly  relieving  her  poor,  elongated 
ear-lobes  of  the  several  pounds  weight  of  copper  rings  dangling 
and  clinking  on  her  shoulders,  by  sustaining  in  her  hands,  if 
only  for  a  brief  moment,  these  monstrous  demands  of  Bornean 
fashion. 

With  a  prophetic  eye  to  future  charms,  they  begin  early. 
The  ear-lobes  are  slit  when  a  baby  is  two  or  three  days  old,  and 
as  soon  as  ever  the  cuts  are  sufficiently  healed  several  small 
pewter  rings  are  inserted,  and  gradually  increased  in  number 
until  their  weight  amounts  to  five  or  six  ounces,  and  by  the 
end  of  the  first  year  the  lobe  has  been  lengthened  three  or  four 
inches. 

This  gradual  increase  of  weights  is  kept  up  with  girls  until 
the  lobe  stretches  seven  or  eight  inches.  I  have  seen  many  a 
loop  of  skin,  thus  formed,  sufficiently  large  and  elastic  to  allow  it 
to  be  slipped  over  the  head. 

It  is  by  no  means  uncommon  to  see  women  with  as  many  as 
three  pounds  of  copper  rings  dangling  in  their  ears  ;  of  course, 
this  precludes  all  rapid  motion  unless  the  weights  are  supported 
by  the  hands.  When  they  stoop  over  their  work  the  rings  are 
tossed  behind  on  the  back. 

It  often  happens  that  the  weights  in  the  ears  are  increased 
injudiciously,  and  the  thin  band  of  skin  gives  way ;  it  may  be 
that  the  loop  catches  on  a  twig  in  the  jungle  or  on  some  projec- 
^  tion  in  the  house,  and,  in  a  minute,  all  the  long  years  of  suffering 
have  been  in  vain  ;  immaculate  beauty  is  for  ever  gone.  To  be 
sure,  the  ends  may  be  spliced  by  instantly  binding  them  fast 


A    KENYAN    WOMAN    WITH    ELONGATED    EAR-LOBES. 

THE  PROCESS  OF  ELONGATING  THE  EAR-LOBES  IS  BEGUN  ON  THE  SECOND 
OR  THIRD  DAY  AFTER  BIRTH,  BY  MAKING  IN  THE  LOBE  A  SMALL  PERPEN- 
DICULAR SLIT,  WHICH  IS  KEPT  OPEN  WITH  A  PLEDGET  OF  CLOTH  OR  A 
PLUG  OF  WOOD  UNTIL  THE  WOUND  HAS  HEALED;  THEN  SEVERAL  SMALL 
PEWTER  OR  COPPER  RINGS  ARE  INSERTED  AND  GRADUALLY  INCREASED  IN 
SIZE  AND  NUMBER  UNTIL  THE  LOBE  AND  THE  SKIN  OF  THE  NECK  BELOW 
THE  EAR  BECOME  SO  STRETCHED  THAT  THE  EAR-RINGS  HANG  FAR  DOWN 
ON  THE  CHEST.  SHOULD  THE  ORIGINAL  SLIT  NOT  PROVE  SUFFICIENTLY 
LARGE,  OR  SHOULD  A  GIRL  WISH  TO  ENHANCE  HER  CHARMS  BY  AN  ENLARGED 
EAR-LOBE,  A  SMALL,  SPLIT  CYLINDER  OF  BAMBOO,  HAVING  THE  EDGES  OF 
THE  SPLIT,  SHARPENED  LIKE  KNIVES,  IS  CLAMPED  UPON  THE  SKIN  ABOVE 
THE  FORMER  SLIT,  AND  GRADUALLY  CUTS  THROUGH,  THUS  ENABLING  THE 
STRETCHING  PROCESS  TO  EXTEND  HIGHER  UP  TO  THE  SKIN  OF  THE  EAR 
AND    THE    CHEEK. 


PERSONAL  EMBELLISHMENT  1 55 

together;  but  an  ugly,  tell-tale  lump  is  the  result,  and  nevermore 
are  the  two  ears  of  a  symmetrical,  lovely  length,  and  nevermore 
can  they,  like  John  Gilpin's  bottles,  *  keep  the  balance  true  '  by 
bearing  equal  weights  of  copper  rings.  The  patched  lobe 
remains  the  weaker. 

The  women  of  the  Berawan  tribe,  instead  of  weights,  insert 
discs  of  wood  three  or  four  inches  in  diameter,  often  carved  on 
both  sides  in  delicate  star-shaped  patterns,  and  sometimes 
brightened  by  bits  of  colored  glass  or  mirrors  inlaid  in  the 
centre. 

The  Kayan  and  Kenyah  men  never  stretch  their  ear-lobes  to 
the  same  length  as  do  the  women  ;  it  is  effeminate  in  a  man  to 
have  his  ears  depend  further  than  just  to  graze  the  shoulder. 
Men  seldom  w^ear  more  than  one  small  copper  ring,  which  is 
heavy  enough  merely  to  keep  the  loop  taut. 

The  men  of  these  same  tribes,  although  they  escape  from 
extreme  length  of  ears,  must  endure  a  second  mutilation  of  this 
appendage.  But  this  time  it  is  in  the  upper  part  that  a  hole  is 
punched,  wherein,  when  they  attain  to  full  manhood  and  have 
been  on  a  war  expedition,  there  is  inserted  a  tiger-cat's  canine 
tooth  decorated  at  the  large  end  with  a  tuft  of  bead-work,  or  a 
silver  cap,  to  keep  it  in  place.  Before  they  are  entitled  to  this 
adornment,  the  hole,  at  least  half  an  inch  in  diameter,  is  kept 
open  by  a  simple  wooden  plug,  which  is  generally  worn,  even  by 
warriors,  except  on  ceremonial  occasions,  and  especially  when  in 
mourning  for  the  dead. 

These  holes  for  the  tiger-cat's  tooth  are  not  punched  at  the 
same  time  that  the  lobe  is  slit ;  the  operation  is  not  performed 
until  the  boy  is  about  ten  years  old.  The  best  time  for  it,  so 
they  claim,  is  in  the  evening  ;  the  wounds  then  have  the  benefit 
of  the  quiet,  cool  night,  whereby  the  pain  and  chance  of  severe 
inflammation  are  notably  lessened.  A  very  opportune  occasion 
is  during  a  war  expedition,  when  quietude  and  idleness  are  the 
rule,  frequently  for  days,  while  the  seers  are  finding  the  Omen 
Birds,  and  consulting  them  as  to  the  success  of  the  expedition. 
Young  boys  always  accompany  head-hunting  raids,  and  serve  in 
all  menial  capacities,  such  as,  baling  out  the  boats,  collecting 
wood,  starting  the  fires,  etc.  Inspired  by  the  excitement  of  the 
hour,  they  are  more  than  willing  to  undergo  the  pain  of  having 


156  HOME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

their  ears  punched,  in  anticipation  of  the  respect  with  which  they 
will  be  regarded  by  their  playmates  when  they  return. 

The  operation  is  never  performed  unless  the  boy  has  had  an 
auspicious  dream  the  night  before.  It  is  auspicious  to  dream  of 
bathing  in  clear,  cold  water,  or  of  fruit  trees  laden  with  fruit,  or 
of  fish  in  large  schools.  It  would  be  absolutely  prohibitory  of 
all  thought  of  the  operation  were  the  lad  to  dream  of  fire  or  of 
eating  anything  hot,  such  as  chillies  or  wild  pepper.  To  make 
ready  for  the  operation,  the  boy  stands  against  a  tree  or  post,  so 
that  the  back  of  his  ear  stands  out  from  his  head  with  the  firm 
support  of  the  wood  behind  it ;  the  hole  is  then  punched  out  with 
a  cylinder  of  bamboo  of  the  proper  half-inch  size,  which  has  been 
sharpened  round  the  edge  so  that  it  makes  a  clean  cut  when 
driven  by  a  smart  blow  from  a  billet  of  wood. 

In  the  hole  a  plug  of  wood  is  at  once  inserted,  and  there 
remains  until  the  wound  is  healed.  The  poor  little  chaps  suffer 
horribly  from  the  swelling  and  inflammation  that  always  ensue. 
But  have  they  not  advanced  the  first  step  toward  that  happy 
day  when  they  may  be  so  blest  as  to  kill  a  foe,  and  ever  after 
entitled  to  wear  a  tiger-cat's  tooth  ? 

It  was  not  until  I  saw  the  women  of  Tama  Bulan's  household 
dressed  out  in  all  their  very  best  during  the  ceremonies  of  The 
Naming  of  the  son  and  heir,  that  I  noticed  that  they,  too,  had 
the  upper  part  of  the  ear  pierced  for  the  insertion  of  a  small 
tassel  of  beads.  The  hole  is  very  small,  and  lies  concealed  in 
the  fold  of  skin  at  the  margin  of  the  outer  ear. 

The  Ibans  do  not  stretch  the  ear-lobes  more  than  an  inch  or 
two ;  but  they  make  up  for  it  by  puncturing  the  edge  of  the 
outer  ear  in  a  series  of  small  holes  about  an  eighth  of  an  inch 
apart,  extending  from  the  lobe  all  round  the  ear  to  where  it  joins 
with  the  skin  of  the  head.  In  these  diminutive  holes  they  insert 
either  a  series  of  small  white-metal  rings  or  an  elaborate  orna- 
ment of  open  brass  rings,  either  plain  or  strung  with  cowrie 
shells,  and  connected,  opposite  the  opening  whereby  they  are 
slipped  into  the  holes  in  the  ear,  with  a  narrow  band  of  brass, 
from  which  are  suspended  many  small  diamond-shaped  pieces 
of  the  same  metal,  which  clink  and  jingle  and  glitter.  The 
rings  at  the  top  of  the  ear  are  about  half  an  inch  in  diameter, 
but  they  increase  gradually  in  size  until  at  the  lobe  they  are  an 


BATU,   A    KAYAN    YOUTH    OF   THE    BARAM    DISTRICT. 

HIS  EAR-LOBE  IS  OF  THE  FASHIONABLE  LENGTH  DESIRED  BY  ALL  THE 
KAYAN  MEN.  THE  LARGE,  ROUND  HOLE  IN  THE  UPPER  PART  OF  THE  EAR 
IS  FOR  THE  INSERTION  OF  A  TIGER-CAT'S  TOOTH,  WHEN  THE  PRIVILEGE  OF 
WEARING  THAT  BADGE  HAS  BEEN  WON  BY  VALOUR  ON  A  HEAD-HUNTING 
RAID. 


AN    IBAN    WITH    FILED,   STUDDED,  AND   BLACKENED   TEETH. 

THE  TEETH  ARE  DRILLED  THROUGH  THE  CENTRE,  AND  IN  THE  HOLES 
ARE  INSERTED  EITHER  PLUGS  OF  BRASS  WIRE  OR  BRASS-HEADED  TACKS, 
WHEREOF  THE  HEADS  HAVE  BEEN  CUT  INTO  STARS  OR  CRESCENTS.  THE 
FOUR  FRONT  TEETH  IN  THE  UPPER  AND  LOWER  JAWS  ARE  FURTHERMORE 
FILED  TO  POINTS.  THE  FILING,  DRILLING,  AND  BLACKENING  KILL  THE 
NERVES;  THE  GUMS  RECEDE,  AND  AT  A  COMPARATIVELY  EARLY  AGE  THE 
TEETH  DECAY  AND  DROP  OUT. 

THE  PHOTOGRAPH  ALSO  SHOWS  ONE  OF  THE  IBAN  FASHIONS  OF  ORNA- 
MENTING THE  EARS  WITH  A  SERIES  OF  SMALL  PEWTER  RINGS,  ABOUT  ONE- 
EIGHTH  OF  AN  INCH  APART  ROUND  THE  MARGIN  OF  THE  EAR. 


'%'*:*g^^i 


PERSONAL  EMBELLISHMENT  1 57 

inch  or  more.  When  an  Iban  is  bedizened  with  these  aural 
adornments,  and  has  a  red  and  yellow  cloth  wound  around  his 
head,  and  ten  yards  of  Turkey-red  calico  tied  and  twined  about 
his  waist,  elegance  of  Iban  costume  can  no  further  go. 

In  the  way  of  improving  nature,  there  is  yet  a  third  form  of 
cosmetical  adornment  in  which,  it  is  safe  to  say,  almost  every  tribe 
in  Borneo  indulges,  namely,  blackening  the  teeth.  White  teeth 
are  universally  considered  frightful  disfigurements,  and  he  or  she, 
who  for  a  few  days  neglects  to  renew  the  stain,  is  sure  to  be  jeered 
at  by  all  companions  with  the  scoffing  remark  that  white  teeth 
are  no  better  than  a  dog's.  I  have  had  that  reproach  cast  at  me 
many  a  time  by  little  children.  The  staining  is  effected  with  a 
paste  made  of  a  greyish-black  shale  rock,  called  '  Tunai,'  pow- 
dered very  fine  and  mixed  with  water  and  the  ashes  of  a  wood, 
which  probably  contains  a  considerable  quantity  of  gallic  or  of 
tannic  acid  ;  two  or  three  applications  of  this  paste  impart  to  the 
teeth  a  brilliant,  shining  black,  which  color  remains  for  several 
days,  and  then  must  be  renewed  by  fresh  applications. 

The  Ibans  use  a  mixture  of  the  ashes  of  cocoanut  husks  and 
of  a  wood,  known  to  them  as  *  Garang,'  and  the  burnt  juice  of  a 
green  rattan.  This  mixture  produces  the  same  evenly  tinted 
black  as  the  Tunai  stone. 

Incomprehensible  as  it  may  seem,  a  row  of  regular,  well- 
shaped  teeth  of  inky  jet  is  not  devoid  of  charm ;  at  a  distance, 
I  admit,  the  mouth  looks  cavernous,  but  near  enough  to  dis- 
tinguish the  teeth  at  all,  I  venture  to  say  it  is  attractive. 

Now  comes  the  fourth  mandate  of  fashion,  of  an  ineffably 
excruciating  character  : — 

The  Ibans,  not  content  with  blackening  the  teeth,  actually 
drill  holes  through  and  through  the  faces  of  the  six  front  teeth, 
and  therein  insert  plugs  of  brass,  whereof  the  outer  end  is  elabo- 
rated into  stars  and  crescents.  Then  they  finish  up  by  filing  the 
teeth  to  sharp  points !  No  dentist's  chair  can  hold  a  more 
hideous  torture  than  this.  The  drill, — usually  no  more  delicate 
an  instrument  than  the  rounded  end  of  a  file, — bores  directly 
through  the  sensitive  pulp  of  the  tooth,  tearing  and  twisting  a 
nerve  so  exquisitely  sensitive  that  but  to  touch  it  starts  the  per- 
spiration and  seems  the  limit  of  human  endurance  ;  yet  an  Iban 
will  lie  serene  and  unquivering  on  the  floor  while  his  beauty  is 


158  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

thus  enhanced  by  some  kind  and  tender-hearted  friend.  Of 
course,  the  tooth  dies  and  becomes  a  mere  shell,  tanned  inside 
and  out  by  repeated  applications  of  the  astringent  blackening ; 
the  gums  recede,  exposing  the  fangs  of  the  teeth  and  sometimes 
portions  of  the  alveolar  process, — I  need  not  add  that  the  mouth 
of  a  middle-aged  Iban  is  anything  but  attractive. 

The  brass  plugs  can  be  inserted  or  removed  at  will.  When 
a  young  Iban  lad  whom  I  took  with  me  as  a  servant  to  Singa- 
pore and  Siam,  noticed  that  the  people  in  the  streets  stared  at 
his  bestudded  teeth,  he  at  once  removed  the  brass  studs  and 
kept  them  carefully  locked  up  in  his  private  box. 

For  a  fifth  time  Nature  and  the  Borneans  are  at  odds  : — 

Nature's  beneficent  provisions  of  eyelashes,  eyebrows,  beard, 
and  moustache  are  all  disdained,  and  plucked  incontinently  away. 
On  the  score  of  beauty,  I  draw  the  line  at  blackened  teeth.  The 
depilation  of  eyebrows  and  eyelashes  is  a  backward  step,  and 
mars  every  face  subjected  to  it,  and  is  the  cause,  naturally 
enough,  of  much  discomfort,  if  not  of  actual  disease.  At  almost 
every  house  where  we  stopped  we  were  called  upon  to  treat  cases 
of  severe  conjunctivitis,  for  which  we  could  find  no  more  reason- 
able cause  than  that  it  was  due  to  the  irritation  caused  by  the 
depilation  of  eyelashes,  coupled  with  bathing  in  muddy  water. 
Furthermore,  the  absence  of  the  slight  shade  given  by  the  eye- 
lashes in  the  glare  of  the  sun  seemed  to  me  to  be  the  cause  of 
that  anxious,  distressed  expression,  or  of  a  fierce  and  wild  scowl, 
observable  on  so  many  faces.  The  moustache  is  very  seldom 
allowed  to  grow,  except  on  one  side,  and  then  only  in  a  tuft  at 
the  corner  of  the  mouth.  The  beard  likewise  is  usually  limited 
to  a  few  straggling  hairs  on  one  side  of  the  chin. 

There  is  a  certain  tribe, — the  Malanaus, — among  whom  the 
custom  obtains  of  flattening  the  foreheads  of  female  children ; 
the  practice  is  begun  about  the  fifteenth  day  after  birth,  and  con- 
tinues for  several  months,  until  the  bones  of  the  skull  begin  to 
harden.  The  process  is  as  follows  : — On  the  forehead  of  the 
child  a  small  padded  board  is  held  in  place  by  means  of  cords, 
which  pass  through  its  ends  and  are  attached  to  a  band  of  cloth 
which  passes  round  the  back  of  the  child's  head.  On  the  upper 
surface  of  the  board  the  cords  pass  through  a  perforated  coin, 
one  from  above  downward  and  the  other  from  below  upward,  so 


MALANAU    HEAD-COMPRESSION. 

THE  PADDED  BOARD  WHICH  IS  BOUND  ON  THE  CHILD'S  HEAD  IS  KEPT 
IN  PLACE  ONLY  WHILE  THE  CHILD  IS  ASLEEP  OR  LYING  QUIETLY  IN  ITS 
MOTHER'S  LAP.  THE  PRESSURE  EXERTED  BY  TWISTING  THE  CORD  RUNNING 
OVER  THE  HEAD-BOARD  IS  NEVER  VERY  SEVERE,  AND  THE  FLATTENING  OF 
•THE     FOREHEAD     IS     BARELY    PERCEPTIBLE     IN    AN    ADULT. 

THE  OPEN  BOX,  CONTAINING  FOUR  SMALLER  BOXES,  IS  THE  'BETEL'  BOX, 
WHEREIN  ARE  KEPT  LIME,  WILD  PEP^'ER  LEAVES,  GAMBIER,  TOBACCO,  CLOVES, 
AND  BETEL  NUTS,  ALL  NECESSARY  ADJUVANTS  TO  THE  CHEWING  OF  BETEL, 
A    PRACTICE  TO    WHICH   THE   MALANAUS    ARE    ALMOST   UNIVERSALLY   ADDICTED. 


PERSONAL  EMBELLISHMENT  159 

that  by  turning  the  coin  the  cords  are  twisted  and  the  band 
shortened.  By  this  means  the  pressure  is  exerted  regularly  by 
just  so  many  turns  of  the  coin  each  day.  The  compression  is 
applied  only  during  sleep,  and,  unless  very  carefully  done,  there 
is  danger  lest  under  too  great  pressure  the  skull  be  forced  apart 
at  the  fontanelles.  The  Malanaus  maintain  that  a  forehead  thus 
flattened  imparts  to  the  face  a  very  beautiful  and  mild  expression. 
Inasmuch  as  this  compression  is  restricted  to  very  early  infancy, 
I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  skull  resumes  its  shape.  I  did  not 
observe  any  deformity  of  the  foreheads  in  adults  or  even  in  the 
young  girls. 

None  of  the  tribes  mutilates  the  nose  either  with  rings  or  sticks 
through  the  septum,  or  with  studs  through  the  alae.  Nor  do 
they  ornament  themselves  with  scars,  except  as  practised  by  the 
boys  to  show  their  fortitude.  In  this  display  of  valour,  they  have 
adopted  a  species  of  moxa, — small  pieces  of  tinder  are  placed 
along  the  forearm,  set  on  fire,  and  allowed  to  burn  out  undis- 
turbed by  any  sign  whatever  of  pain.  The  straight  line  of  scars 
bears  an  enduring  testimony  to  the  fortitude  of  the  youth,  and 
is  infinitely  precious  in  the  eyes  and  to  the  heart  of  his  dusky 
love. 

What  withbrowless  and  lashless  eyes,  inky  teeth,  brass  plugs, 
looped  ears,  and  blue  legs,  I  am  afraid  I  have  given  but  a  sorry 
picture  of  those  whom  I  would  fain  have  my  readers  regard  with 
as  much  kindliness  as  my  memory  now  holds  for  the  originals. 
These  freaks  of  fashion  are,  however,  merely  external ;  under- 
neath I  found  honesty,  hospitality,  gentleness,  and  a  child-like 
simplicity.  The  Kayans  and  Kenyahs  harmonise  with  their  sur- 
roundings. The  very  word  'jungle'  possesses  an  indefinable 
charm, — it  is  full  of  gay,  exuberant  life  in  insect  and  flower ;  but 
in  its  depth,  side  by  side  with  these,  lurks  swift  death.  Deep 
seated  in  the  heart  of  the  joyous,  child-like  Borneans  there 
reigns  in  their  bosoms,  true  to  their  jungle  home,  an  inextin- 
guishable yearning  for  a  head  not  their  own.  Nevertheless,  I 
like  them. 


PERMANTONG,    OR  LALI 
A   BORNE  AN  SPECIES   OF   TABOO 

During  the  days  devoted  to  search  for  omens  in  reference 
to  the  sites  of  the  rice-fields,  and  also  again  in  reference  to  the 
planting,  the  Kayans  refrain  from  their  usual  daily  occupations, 
and  neither  leave  their  houses  themselves  nor  allow  strangers  to 
enter.  These  days  of  seclusion  are  termed  *  Permantong  Padi,' 
or  '  Lali  Padi,'  and  correspond  very  closely  to  taboo  elsewhere. 
Permantong  is  the  word  among  the  Kayans  in  the  Baram  district 
in  the  northwest  of  the  island ;  but  among  the  Kayans  in  the 
valley  of  the  Kapuas  River,  in  Dutch  Borneo,  it  is  '  Pantang ;' 
both  these  forms  are  possibly  derived  from  the  Malay  word 
'  Hantu,' — a  Demon  or  evil  Spirit, — with  the  prefix  per  and 
the  affix  a)i,  both  used  to  form  derivative  substantives ;  thus  the 
Malay  word  in  full  would  be  *  per-hantu-an,'  meaning  possessed 
by  Spirits,  or,  more  freely,  bewitched.  '  Lali  '  is  probably  a  pure 
Kayan  word ;  its  derivation  I  do  not  know.  Between  it  and 
permantong  I  could  discover  no  shade  of  difference  in  meaning. 

The  work  of  clearing  off  the  jungle  is  tedious  in  the  extreme, 
and,  if  after  all  the  heavy  labour,  the  crops  should  fail  or  be 
destroyed  by  monkeys,  or  by  birds,  or  by  a  beetle  called  '  pan- 
gau,'  or  by  blight,  the  Avhole  household  in  their  discouragement 
become  convinced  that  they  have  committed  some  act  to  incur 
the  displeasure  of  the  Spirits;  therefore,  before  this  arduous  work 
is  begun,  it  is  of  prime  importance  to  ascertain  the  exact  temper 
of  the  Spirits,  by  observing  the  actions  of  certain  birds,  mammals, 
and  reptiles,  all  of  which  are  known  to  the  Kayans  as  '  Amau,' 
and  are  supposed  to  be  in  the  confidence  of  the  unseen  Powers. 
It  needs  but  a  close  observation  of  bird,  beast,  and  snake  to 
detect  the  supernal  favourable  or  unfavourable  dispositions. 

The  experienced  husbandmen  of  the  household  usually  select 

160 


IBANS   FELLING   A    BUTTRESS   TREE. 

A  TREE'S  WIDE-SPREADING,  BUTTRESS-LIKE  ENLARGEMENTS  AT  THE  FOOT 
NECESSITATE  THE  BUILDING  OF  A  SCAFFOLD,  WHEREFROM,  IN  THE  FELLING, 
THE  TRUNK  MAY  BE  CUT  THROUGH  AT  ITS  SMALLEST  DIAMETER.  WHEN  A 
TRACT  OF  JUNGLE  IS  TO  BE  FELLED,  THE  LARGEST  TREES  ARE  CUT  PARTLY 
THROUGH  AND  LEFT  STANDING,  SUPPORTED  ONLY  BY  THE  TREES  AND  BY 
THE  INTERLACING  VINES  ROUND  ABOUT;  THE  LARGEST  TREES  ON  THE  CON- 
FINES OF  THE  TRACT  ARE  THEN  FELLED,  AND  IN  THEIR  FALL  START  ALL  THE 
OTHERS.    AND,   WITH    A    SOUND    AS  OF    THUNDER,  THE   JUNGLE    IS  PROSTRATED. 


^Mmrnm 


PERMANTONG,   OR  LALI  l6l 

a  patch  of  jungle,  which  in  their  opinion  will  make  a  good 
rice-field  if  the  Spirits  be  favourable ;  then  each  family  does  its 
share  in  clearing  off  the  undergrowth. 

During  this  preliminary  stage,  when  the  labour  is  not  as 
severe  as  when  heavy  trees  must  be  felled,  the  household  is 
not  as  yet  lali ;  nevertheless,  every  individual  looks  out  most 
anxiously  for  any  evil  omens.  If,  on  the  way  to  the  clearing,  a 
snake  called  '  Nipa  matei  ekoh  '  {Dead-tailed  snake)  is  encoun- 
tered, which  has  a  brilliant  red  head  and  a  red-tipped  tail,  or 
should  any  one  see  a  deer  called  '  Tela-au  '  {Cervidus  nmntjac),  or 
a  Civet  cat  {Arctogale  leiicoiis)  called  '  Munin,'  or  a  Rain  bird 
called  by  the  Kayans  '  Pajan,'  and  by  the  Kenyahs  '  Talajan  ' 
{Platylophus  coronatns),  they  will  relinquish  the  site,  and,  regard- 
less of  the  work  already  done,  abandon  the  place  for  ever.  These 
four  animals  are  most  unfavourable  omens  when  seen  near  the 
clearing,  and  wilfully  to  disregard  their  warnings,  even  at  this 
early  stage,  not  only  compromises  the  abundance  and  quality  of 
the  crops,  but  also  the  health,  or  even  the  life,  of  the  whole 
household.  Should  a  man  hear  a  downright  warning  and  yet 
pay  no  attention  to  it,  it  is  natural  enough  that  during  the  ensuing 
year  he  should  attribute  to  this  disregard,  whatever  bad  luck  or 
even  shght  accident  might  befall  him.  If  on  the  third  day  of 
work  on  the  clearing,  the  whistle  of  the  Talajan  bird  is  heard 
near  by,  the  omen  is  favourable  ;  up  to  this  time  it  is  ill-omened, 
but  now  it  indicates  that  the  crops  will  be  enormous,  and  that  the 
rice-houses  or  granaries  must  be  made  of  hard,  enduring  wood, 
to  stand  the  weight  of  the  rice  harvest. 

If,  during  three  days,  no  evil  omens  have  been  observed,  there 
is  sufficient  encouragement  therein  to  proceed  to  the  next  stage 
of  felhng  the  heavy  timber,  and  to  incite  the  entire  household  to 
co-operate  in  the  search  for  further  requisite  auguries. 

All  the  families  remain  secluded  in  the  long  veranda,  or  in 
their  small  private  rooms,  and  sit  all  day  long  quite  still,  smoking 
and  talking ;  not  a  soul  is  allowed  to  leave  the  house,  or,  at  most, 
to  go  further  than  the  bank  of  the  river,  except  two  men  desig- 
nated as  the  '  Laki-Niho,'  {Hawk-jnen^  whose  duty  it  is  to  look 
for  a  hawk,  called  '  Niho.' 

While  these  Hawk-men  are  engaged  in  this  search,  no  one 
must  call  them  by  their  true  names  ;  even  an  accidental  infringe- 
u 


1 62  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

ment  of  this  rule  is  punished  by  a  fine  of  a  ior^  beads,  or  of  a 
coarse  china  plate.  It  is  the  custom  of  some  households  for  the 
Laki-Niho  not  to  return  to  the  house  during  the  whole  three 
days'  search  for  omens ;  at  such  times  they  build  in  the  jun- 
gle, near  the  clearing,  a  small  hut,  which  they  indicate  to  be 
permantong,  by  putting  up  beside  it  two  poles,  called  '  ponkut,' 
whereon  the  bark  is  stripped  into  bunches  of  shavings  at  intervals 
down  the  pole.  While  living  in  this  hut,  members  of  their  own 
household  may  communicate  with  them,  if  urgent  necessity 
arises,  but  with  strangers,  who  ought  to  know  from  the  ponkut, 
the  serious  nature  of  the  permantong,  they  will  hold  no  commu- 
nication whatever. 

Should  the  hawk  be  seen  on  the  first  day  of  the  search,  but 
not  on  the  two  succeeding  days,  it  is  unfavourable  ;  nevertheless, 
they  would  continue  the  preparation  of  the  soil,  with  the  expec- 
tation, however,  of  poor  crops,  which,  if  from  no  other  cause, 
would  be  sure  to  follow  the  half-heartedness  with  which  people 
work  when  discouraged  at  the  very  outset. 

On  the  second  day  the  search  is  kept  up,  and  if  the  hawk  be 
now  seen,  it  is  favourable,  but  not  completely  favourable  ;  if  they 
returned  to  the  house,  they  would  not  probably  refer  to  it,  lest 
their  chances  for  the  morrow  be  thereby  jeopardised.  But 
should  they  fail  to  catch  sight  of  the  hawk  on  the  third  day, 
they  would  accept  the  omen  of  the  second  day,  and  be  fairly 
well  content ;  the  search  must  be  continued,  however,  until  the 
last  chance  of  the  most  favourable  of  omens  is  gone. 

If  on  the  third  day's  search,  the  hawk  is  again  observed,  the 
omen  of  the  second  day  is  rejected,  and  the  omen  of  the  third 
day  is  the  only  one  accepted.  A  small  pile  of  chips  is  at  once 
set  on  fire,  to  inform  the  hawk,  that  a  blessing  is  expected  on  their 
crops,  and  the  Laki-Niho  hurry  back  to  the  house  to  spread  the 
good  news.  Every  one  in  the  house  now  lights  a  cigarette  or 
waves  a  fire-brand,  whereby  a  blessing  is  invoked  on  his  or  her 
particular  rice-farm,  and  all  eagerly  watch  for  the  hawk,  to  see 
whether  or  not  he  sails  around  without  flapping  his  wings. 
Should  he  sail  away  out  of  sight  without  once  flapping  his  wings 
all  are  delighted ;  it  means  that  the  clearing  of  the  jungle  may 
now  continue  prosperously,  and  that  neither  attack  of  enemies 
nor  accident  to  the  workers  need  be  feared.     Should  the  hawk 


FIELD   OF    HILL    RICE,  CLEARED   AND    PLANTED    BY   IBANS    IN    THE 
BARAM    DISTRICT. 


PERMANTONG,   OR  LALI  1 63 

flap  his  wings,  it  follows  that  some  men,  in  felling  the  jungle,  will 
be  badly  cut  by  their  axes  or  perhaps  crushed  under  falling  trees. 
All  instantly  avert  their  eyes  from  the  flapping  hawk,  lest  the  bird 
should  recognise  them  in  the  fields  and  select  them  as  victims. 
After  they  have  made  their  wishes  known  to  the  hawk  by  means 
of  the  fire,  there  is  a  respite  of  a  day  or  two  in  the  permantong, 
and  the  people  are  allowed  to  go  out  of  doors. 

After  this  short  respite,  the  same  two  Laki-Niho  again  set  out, 
this  time  in  search  of  the  Talajan  bird  ;  and  again  the  people  are 
housed.  This  search  lasts  three  days  also,  and  on  the  third  day, 
if  successful,  they  perform  the  same  rite  as  before  with  fire  and 
smoke.  Next  follows  a  three  days'  lookout  for  the  Tela-au  deer, 
which  must  be  not  only  seen  but  heard ;  if  it  dart  off  the  minute 
it  is  seen,  without  giving  its  gruff  bark,  it  foretells  a  misfortune, 
but  to  an  individual  merely,  not  to  the  whole  household ;  con- 
sequently, but  very  little  attention  comparatively  is  paid  to  it. 

The  tedious  formalities  are  now  nearly  over,  and  there  remain 
but  two  more  animals  to  be  observed,  namely,  the  Munin  and  the 
Makong,  {Berenicornis  comatus,  the  white-headed  Horn-bill ;) 
these  two,  also,  must  utter  some  sound  to  show  whether  or  not 
they  are  favourable.  These  are  all  the  omens  that  must  be  con- 
sulted before  the  heavy  timber  can  be  felled  and  the  rice  planted. 
During  each  period  of  three  days,  all  members  of  the  house- 
hold must  remain  within  the  house. 

When  the  felled  jungle  is  become  dry,  it  is  burned  over,  and 
as  soon  as  the  ground  is  cool  they  dibble  in  the  grain.  From 
the  hour  when  the  real  labour  of  felling  the  jungle  begins,  until 
the  seed-planting  is  finished,  no  stranger  is  allowed  to  enter  the 
house  or  field  ;  should  inadvertence  or  necessity  bring  a  neighbor 
within  the  lali  district,  he  must  pay  a  small  offering  to  atone  for 
the  trespass.  This  offering  is  known  as  '  Usut,'  and  is  ordinarily 
a  few  beads  or  something  of  iron,  such  as  a  spear-head,  or  an 
old  knife.  The  usut  is  placed  in  a  basket  and  hung  up  in  the  rice- 
field  until  it  rusts  away  or  disappears.  To  see  that  this  usut  is 
properly  paid,  is  the  duty  of  the  women,  who  call  the  custom 
'Toh  Lali,'  or  Lali  of  the  Spirits.  (Once,  when  on  our  way 
down  the  river  from  Tama  Bulan's,  we  stopped  at  a  house,  and, 
finding  no  one  about,  walked  boldly  up  the  bank,  whereupon  the 
head-man  hurried  down  to  meet  us,  and  demanded,  with  consider- 


164  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

able  persistence,  that  we  should  give  him  a  knife.  Thinking  he 
was  hinting  at  a  present,  I  searched  in  the  canoe  for  one  of  my 
good  hunting-knives.  On  receiving  it,  he  incontinently  thrust  it 
into  a  basket  and  sent  it  off  to  the  rice-fields  to  be  hung  up  and 
to  rust  away.  An  old  table-knife  or  any  bit  of  old  iron  would 
have  done  as  well,  but  my  ignorance  cost  me  a  valuable  knife, 
which  I  am  sure  was  wasted  on  the  Toh.) 

The  crop  is  now  fairly  started.  The  heaviest  part  of  the  task 
of  keeping  down  the  weeds  falls  to  the  women,  who  rise  with 
the  sun,  and,  as  soon  as  the  household  is  fairly  awake,  start  off 
in  rain  or  shine  for  the  fields,  in  parties  of  six  or  eight,  armed 
with  their  little,  short-handled,  lop-sided  hoes.  Usually  they 
do  not  eat  until  they  arrive  at  the  scene  of  their  labours ;  some- 
times they  halt  at  a  pebbly  '  karangan,'  where  dry  wood  is 
plenty,  and  there  break  their  fast,  but  do  not  eat  again  until 
they  return  to  the  house  in  the  evening. 

Shortly  before  the  rice  is  cut,  a  basket  containing  pieces  of 
wood,  roots,  leaves,  and  strings  of  beads  is  carried  to  the  field 
and  left  there  for  three  days.  This  basket  of  offerings,  or 
charms  for  the  crop,  is  called  the  '  Tigga,'  and  after  the  rice  is 
cut  the  basket  and  its  contents  are  placed  either  on  a  shelf  in 
the  granaries  or  else  on  the  platform  just  outside  the  door. 

During  the  harvesting  of  the  '  Parai  Agit,'  a  small  patch  of 
rice  planted  first,  and  always  harvested  first,  there  is  a  lali  of  four 
days,  known  as  the  '  Lamali  Parai,'  (lali  of  the  pregnant  rice.) 
Of  the  Parai  Agit  no  woman  must  eat ;  if  she  does  eat  of  this 
rice,  she  will  go  mad.  Reiterated  questionings  failed  to  disclose 
the  origin  of  this  belief,  and  even  the  reason  for  planting  the 
Parai  Agit  itself 

When  the  rice  is  all  harvested,  the  household  is  lali  to 
strangers,  and  for  eight  days  no  one  can  go  off  on  any  expe- 
dition nor  return  to  the  house  from  an  expedition.  No  sooner 
does  this  lali  end,  than  another  begins,  while  the  rice  is  being 
stored  in  the  granaries.  But  as  soon  as  this  harvesting  is  over,  a 
general  feast  is  prepared,  and  merriment  of  all  sorts  makes 
up  for  the  weariness  of  the  long  day's  work.  The  women  don 
every  stitch  of  their  finery  and  every  bead  to  their  name ;  some 
even  assume  men's  clothes,  and  carry  shield,  spear,  and  parang. 
In  the  evening,  all  join  in  a  long  procession  round  the  house ; 


IBAN     CAMPHOR-COLLECTORS    SPLITTING     UP     A    CAMPHOR     TREE 
IN    SEARCH    OF    CRYSTALS. 

WHEN  ALL  THE  OMENS  HAVE  BEEN  AUSPICIOUS,  THE  CAMPHOR  TREE 
IS  FELLED  AND  THEN,  DECKED  OUT  IN  THEIR  FINEST  WAR  CLOTHES,  THE 
COLLECTORS  EXAMINE  WITH  MINUTEST  CARE  EVERY  CRACK  AND  CREVICE 
IN  THE  TRUNK  OF  THE  TREE  WHERE  THE  CRYSTALS  MIGHT  LURK.  THERE 
IS  NO  PRODUCT  OF  THE  JUNGLE  ABOUT  WHICH  THERE  IS  SO  MUCH  MYSTERY 
AS  ABOUT  CAMPHOR,  AND  WHILE  SEARCHING  FOR  IT  THE  COLLECTORS  ARE 
HEDGED  IN  AT  EVERY  TURN  BY  PERMANTONG  OR  TABOO,  AND  MUST  TALK  IN 
A    LANGUAGE    USED   ONLY    DURING    QUESTS    FOR    THE    ELUSIVE    CRYSTALS. 


PERMANTONG,    OR  LALI  165 

guests  are  invited  to  participate  in  the  festivities,  and  'jest  and 
youthful  joUity  '  rule  the  hour ;  the  brimming  cup  passes  freely, 
and  to  the  harmonious  strains  of  the  kaluri  the  women  '  trip  it 
as  they  go,'  or  leap  in  war-dances,  in  imitation  of  the  men.  As  a 
half  apology  for  all  this  '  heart-easing  mirth,'  they  told  me  that 
this  harvest  at  least  was  theirs, — they  might  not  live  to  see 
another. 

After  this  festival  there  follows  another  lali,  known  as  the 
'  Lali  Neboko ;'  it  lasts  for  ten  long  days,  and  is  apparently 
devoted  by  the  women  to  the  resumption  of  their  proper  sphere 
and  duties ;  they  make  all  sorts  of  cakes  out  of  the  new  rice,  and 
vie  with  each  other  in  devising  toothsome  dishes  for  their  lovers 
and  husbands.  During  all  this  laH,  no  one  is  permitted  to  do  a 
stroke  of  any  work  that  resembles  the  cultivation  of  rice  ;  a 
parang  or  a  billiong,  or  any  tool  used  in  felling  the  jungle,  is  a 
strictly  lali  article  ;  should  any  restless  creature  express  a  desire 
for  active  work,  he  is  scoffed  at  and  scorned  as  a  spoil-sport  and 
kill-joy. 

During  the  Permantong  Padi,  the  large  wooden  mortars, 
wherein  the  rice  is  husked,  are  enclosed  in  bamboo  railings,  to 
prevent  human  beings,  and  dogs  also,  from  touching  them.  The 
store  of  rice  will  last  but  a  short  time  should  these  mortars  be 
touched  by  any  hands  other  than  those  whose  duty  it  is  to  use 
them.  If  a  dog  in  search  of  food,  or  of  a  place  to  sleep,  crawl 
into  one  of  them,  he  is  straightway  caught,  and  his  hair  rubbed 
the  wrong  way  with  a  cord,  which  they  call  a  '  Tali  Gamai.' 
During  this  rubbing,  the  owner  of  the  mortar  exorcises  the  evil 
Spirit  by  saying  :  '  I  stroke  this  dog  thus,  because  I  do  not  wish 
my  food  to  disappear  on  account  of  this  dog.  Let  my  food  last 
until  the  next  year's  crop.  One  !  Two  !  Three  !  Four  !  '  The 
dog  is  sure  to  die,  so  they  say,  very  soon  after  this  ceremony. 
These  large  mortars  are  fastened  to  the  floor,  and  when  not  in 
use  are  often  used  as  seats,  except  during  the  Permantong  Padi, 
when  even  the  deep  hollow  in  the  centre  is  plugged  up,  to  keep 
the  dogs,  which  no  railing  can  exclude,  from  licking  it  in  their 
search  for  remnants  of  rice. 

Besides  the  Permantong  Padi,  there  are  many  minor  perman- 
tongs  in  the  daily  life  of  the  Kayans ;  for  instance,  in  a  Kayan 
house  it   is    permantong  to    whistle   after   dark.     To   play  the 


l66  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

kaluri,  or  the  nose-flute,  is  allowable,  even  though  thereby  the 
same  sound  as  whistling  is  produced ;  whistling  summons  evil 
Spirits,  and  is  sure  to  bring  mischief  into  the  house.  Some 
Ibans  aver  that  in  old  times  it  was  strictly  against  all  rule  ever 
to  whistle  in  the  house,  even  in  the  daytime. 

It  is  permantong,  or  lali,  for  a  member  of  a  dead  man's  house- 
hold to  give  anything  to  be  used  in  laying  out  the  corpse ;  cloth 
or  other  things  necessary  for  such  purposes  may  be  obtained  from 
any  other  than  a  member  of  the  same  house.  When  in  need  of 
such  things,  the  relatives  and  friends  should  ask  for  them  when 
the  patient  is  moribund,  and  not  after  death  has  put  a  seal  on  his 
lips,  preventing  him  from  making  the  request  himself.  When  the 
corpse  has  been  laid  out  for  several  days,  no  one,  whether  a 
member  of  the  household  or  not,  is  willing  to  sell  or  give  any 
thing  to  be  placed  upon  the  corpse  ;  it  may  be  placed,  however, 
close  by  the  corpse  with  perfect  propriety,  together  with  cigarettes, 
which  carry  messages  to  dead  friends.  Dr.  Hose  told  me  that 
on  one  occasion,  while  he  was  talking  to  Tama  Bulan,  in  his  long- 
house  on  the  Pata  River,  a  message  was  brought  to  the  Chief 
from  a  very  sick  man,  with  the  request  for  enough  white  cloth  to 
make  a  *  Bah  '  or  waist-cloth,  wherein  to  die.  Tama  Bulan  asked 
whether  the  message  came  from  the  man  himself  or  from  his 
relatives,  and  showed  no  inclination  to  give  the  cloth  until  he 
learned  that  the  man  was  still  alive ;  then  he  very  willingly  pro- 
duced the  number  of  fathoms  desired.  He  explained  afterward, 
that  had  the  man  been  dead,  and  the  request  come  from  the 
relatives,  he  would  not  have  given  the  Bah.  Had  he  given  it 
under  these  circumstances,  it  would  have  angered  the  Spirits, 
and  they  would  have  claimed  the  giver  as  the  next  victim. 

When  a  man  is  sick  and  likely  to  die,  no  one  in  the  house  is 
allowed  to  open  boxes,  or  any  receptacles  whatever,  at  night, 
except  it  be  the  small  tobacco  boxes  of  bamboo  which  all  carry, 
or  the  ordinary  baskets  wherein  they  keep  the  sleeping-mats; 
breach  of  this  law  brings  death  into  the  room  in  which  the  offence 
was  committed. 

It  is  lali  to  cook  inside  the  house  the  flesh  of  deer,  buffalo, 
wild  cattle,  tiger-cats,  many  of  the  smaller  mammals,  and  the 
large  lizard  ( Veranus, — sometimes  as  much  as  six  feet  long,)  and 
only  old  and  proved  warriors    may  eat  the  flesh  of  deer;  the 


PUNAN    CAMPHOR-COLLECTORS. 

PUNANS  TESTING  THE  PRODUCTIVENESS  OF  A  CAMPHOR  TREE  BY  SMELL- 
ING  THE  CHIPS  CUT  FROM  THE  TRUNK  ABOUT  TEN  FEET  FROM  THE  GROUND. 
EXPERT  COLLECTORS  CAN  TELL  BY  THE  STRENGTH  OF  THE  ODOR  WHETHER 
OR    NOT    THE  TREE    IS    RICH    IN    CRYSTALS. 


PERMANTONG,    OR  LA  LI  1 67 

timid  disposition  of  the  animal  enters  the  souls  of  youths  who 
are  rash  enough  to  eat  of  it. 

Very  similar  to  the  search  for  omens  in  reference  to  the  rice- 
fields  is  the  observation  of  omens  preliminary  to  the  search  for 
camphor  crystals,  (which  are  found  in  a  tree  known  to  botanists 
as  the  Dryobalanops  Cajuphora.)  Before  setting  out  for  the 
depths  of  the  jungle  where  the  camphor  trees  grow,  the  Kayans 
first  look  for  a  bird  known  to  them  as  '  Isit ' — a  Spider  hunter, 
{Arachnoihera  longirostris  or  Anthreptcs  malaccencis^  and  should 
it  be  seen  flying  across  their  path,  from  right  to  left,  the  omen 
is  not  good,  there  will  be  poor  luck  in  their  search ;  if  it  be  seen 
flying  in  the  opposite  way,  there  will  be  good  luck.  After  they 
have  seen  the  Spider  hunter,  they  must  next  look  for  the  com- 
mon Red  Hawk,  whose  flight  must  be  also  from  left  to  right ;  if 
its  flight  be  from  right  to  left,  their  search  will  be  fruitless,  or  else 
some  heavy  calamity  will  happen  to  them,  and  they  had  far  better 
return  home  at  once.  When  both  these  Omen  bearers  have 
been  seen  flying  favourably,  the  Pajan,  or  Rain  Bird,  and  the 
Tela-au,  or  Barking  Deer,  must  be  either  seen  or  heard  on  the 
right-hand  side  of  the  trail ;  but  even  when  all  these  omens  have 
been  favourably  observed,  the  camphor  searchers  are  not  yet  free 
to  pursue  their  quest.  For  a  final  omen,  they  seek  for  a  certain 
snake,  '  Batang  limu,'  {Simotes  octolineatus^  and  the  most  strenu- 
ous efforts  must  be  made  to  kill  it ;  should  it  escape,  they  may 
as  well  return  home ;  they  will  find  no  camphor,  even  though  all 
the  other  omens  have  been  auspicious. 

As  soon  as  they  have  decided  upon  the  tributary  stream,  near 
whose  banks  they  are  to  direct  their  search,  a  rattan  is  stretched 
across  its  mouth,  as  Jamma  explained  to  me,  and  as  is  set  forth 
on  page  115  above ;  on  this  rattan  are  hung  wooden  images  and 
models  of  parangs,  billiongs,  spears,  and  the  wooden  wedges  used 
in  splitting  up  the  trunks  of  the  felled  camphor  trees  ;  this  gives 
notice  to  other  camphor  hunters,  or  to  passing  strangers,  that  the 
stream  is  closed  and  all  trespassing  forbidden.  When  they  have 
selected  the  camphor  tree,  which  they  intend  to  cut  down,  they 
build  their  hut  near  it,  and  then,  after  the  first  strokes  of  the 
axe,  if  they  hear  the  note  of  an  Omen  bird,  they  giv^e  up  work 
for  the  rest  of  the  day,  and  sit  idle  in  their  hut.  But  if  all  omens 
are  favourable,  and  they  find  that  the  tree  is  likely  to  prove  rich 


1 68  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD- HUNTERS 

in  camphor,  they  plant  near  their  hut  a  stake,  whereof  the  outer 
surface  has  been  cut  into  curled  shavings  and  tufts  down  the 
sides  and  at  the  top.  (I  suggest  as  possible  that  these  shavings 
represent  the  curling  tongues  of  flame  which  communicate  with 
the  unseen  Powers.)  When  the  Kayans  are  collecting  camphor, 
they  are  under  no  restrictions  as  to  food,  nor  are  they  forbidden 
to  .speak  to  people  whom  they  may  meet,  although  they  will  not 
allow  strangers  to  enter  their  hut.  With  many  other  tribes,  all 
communication  with  strangers  is  strictly  forbidden ;  the  Sibops, 
for  instance,  when  asked,  by  people  whom  they  meet,  the  usual 
question  : — '  Where  are  you  going  ?  '  maintain  a  stony  silence. 

When  the  camphor  tree  has  been  felled,  the  trunk  is  cut  into 
small  pieces,  and  during  this  process  the  searchers  are  clad  in 
their  most  showy  war-clothes  and  armed  with  parang  and  spear. 
It  is  in  the  crevices  of  the  fibre  of  the  wood  that  the  crystals  are 
found,  (a  peculiarity  of  the  Borneo  camphor,)  and  the  searchers 
seem  to  regard  the  tree  as  a  fallen  foe,  who  can  be  made  to 
yield  his  hidden  treasure  only  at  the  point  of  sword  and  spear. 

The  search  for  the  crystals  is  tedious  work ;  each  piece  of 
wood  must  be  split  with  the  greatest  care  and  examined  with 
minuteness.  No  camphor  is  found  beyond  twenty  feet  from  the 
root,  and  trees  productive  of  camphor  crystals  are  always  hol- 
low ;  it  is,  therefore,  probable  that  no  crystals  are  found  unless 
the  tree  has  been  in  some  way  injured.  Besides  the  crystals, 
there  is  always  an  abundance  of  oil,  useful  as  an  embrocation ; 
and  there  is  also  usually  a  quantity  of  soft  camphor,  called 
'  Kapor  Bata,'  not  yet  crystallised ;  yellow,  resinous  crystals  are 
of  no  value.  The  blossoms  of  the  tree  have  a  strong  smell  of 
camphor,  and  near  its  roots  is  usually  found  a  peculiar  luminous 
fungus. 

Many  tribes  when  on  an  expedition  for  camphor  must  not  talk 
among  themselves  in  their  own  language  about  their  quest,  but 
must  use  '  camphor  language.'  The  Malanau  tribes  are  herein 
very  strict ;  the  crystals  will  immediately  dissolve  if  any  language 
be  used  other  than  the  camphor  language.  The  Malanau  word 
for  to  return  is  '  muli,'  but  when  in  the  presence  of  a  camphor 
tree  they  say  '  beteku ;'  to  hide  in  the  Malanau  language,  is 
'  palim,'  but  when  on  a  camphor  hunt  they  say  '  krian.'  Simi- 
larly,   all    common    names    for   implements    and    for   food   are 


KAYAN    CAMPHOR-COLLECTORS   SELLING   THEIR   STORE    OF 
CRYSTALS   TO   CHINESE   TRADERS. 

THE  PRICE  GIVEN  FOR  CAMPHOR  DEPENDS  LARGELY  UPON  THE  SIZE  AND 
PURITY  OF  THE  CRYSTALS;  YELLOW  AND  SOFT  CRYSTALS  ARE  OF  LITTLE 
VALUE.  THE  BOY  ON  THE  LEFT  IS  HOLDING  IN  HIS  HAND  SEVERAL  ROLLS 
OF  COPPER  CENTS  TIED  UP  IN  PACKETS  OF  FIFTY. 


PERMANTONG,    OR  LALI  1 69 

changed.  One  would  expect  to  find  an  interesting  remnant  of 
an  ancient  language  in  this  camphor  dialect,  but  it  is  very  doubt- 
ful if  there  be  any  such  remnant  there.  This  curious  custom 
prevails  throughout  Borneo,  and  in  the  Malay  Peninsula  also  ; 
possibly,  it  was  introduced  by  the  Malays  to  preclude  all  outside 
interference  in  the  trading  transactions  between  the  natives  and 
themselves. 

Among  some  tribes,  when  engaged  in  camphor  collecting, 
the  names  of  Chiefs  and  of  influential  men  must  never  be  men- 
tioned ;  should  any  one  violate  this  rule,  the  trees  are  always 
found  camphorless. 

Wives  dare  not  touch  a  comb  while  their  husbands  are  away 
collecting  this    valuable  gum  ;  the  fibres  of  the  tree  will  duly     (/ 
reveal  abundant  spaces  where  camphor  ought  to  be  found ;  but 
if  a  comb  has  been  touched  at  home,  these  spaces  will  prove 
empty  and  resemble  the  spaces  between  the  teeth  of  a  comb. 

Husbands  are  able  to  discover,  by  certain  knots  in  the  tree, 
when  their  wives  are  unfaithful ;  and  in  former  days,  many 
women  are  said  to  have  been  killed  by  jealous  husbands  on 
evidence  no  better  than  these  knots. 

The  leathery  sheath  of  the  leaf-stalk  of  the  Penang  palm 
is  used  as  a  plate  for  food,  and  it  must  not  be  washed  during 
the  whole  time  of  an  expedition  for  camphor,  for  fear  that  the 
camphor  will  dissolve  and  disappear  from  the  crevices  of  the 
tree. 

No  one  is  allowed  to  bathe  except  at  daylight  and  at  night- 
fall ;  no  song  is  sung  ;  no  deer  of  any  species  should  be  eaten  at 
these  times ;  the  collectors  are,  however,  allowed  to  hunt  for 
smaller  game  with  the  blow-pipe. 

(The  finest  camphor  is  that  which  is  found  in  large,  transparent 
crystals,  about  three-quarters  of  an  inch  long ;  this  often  brings 
in  the  up-country  bazaars  as  much  as  forty  or  fifty  dollars  a 
pound.  The  chief  camphor  workers  are  the  Punans,  who  are 
either  hired  as  guides  and  helpers  by  the  Kayans,  Kenyahs, 
Sibops,  or  Ibans,  or  else  they  collect  the  camphor  themselves 
and  barter  it  with  the  other  natives,  who  in  turn  sell  it  to  the 
Chinese.) 

With  almost  every  tribe  the  name  for  camphor-hunting  is 
'  Paji.' 


THE  PUNANS 

When  we  parted  company  with  the  somewhat  unpeaceful 
Peace-party  at  Tama  Aping  Buling's,  as  previously  narrated,  we 
set  out  by  ourselves  to  visit  a  settlement  of  Punans,  which  had 
been  for  some  months  past  in  the  jungle  a  short  distance  from 
the  head-waters  of  the  Dapoi.  The  sense  of  freedom  and  relief 
from  the  responsibility  of  that  host  of  warlike  peace-makers 
could  not  fail  to  add  to  our  enjoyment  of  this  lovely  river;  but, 
even  apart  from  this  private,  personal  emotion,  nothing  can  be 
imagined  more  thoroughly  and  charmingly  tropical  than  the 
scenery,  shifting  and  changing  at  every  stroke  of  the  paddle,  on 
which  we  now  entered.  The  sky  was  cloudless,  the  temperature 
delightful ;  great  trees,  slanting  far  over  the  river,  interlocked 
their  branches  overhead,  and,  in  perfect  sun-flecked  shade,  we 
pursued  our  slow  way  over  the  curling,  bubbling,  and  babbHng 
water,  with  our  men  lazily  poling  or  paddling  the  canoes.  Little 
blue,  green,  and  red  king-fishers  darted  across  our  bows,  hither 
and  thither,  from  the  tangled  undergrowth  on  the  banks ;  from 
huge,  distorted  branches  covered  with  delicate  little  bright-green 
ferns,  dangled  long,  sweeping  vines,  which  had  caught  in  their 
coils  clumps  of  stag's-horn  fern  and  gay  orchids,  thus  adorning 
our  pathway  with  hanging-baskets  of  Nature's  own  handicraft ; 
large,  startled  fruit-pigeons  glided  swiftly  under  the  archway  of 
boughs,  stirring  the  leaves  with  the  wind  from  their  swift  wings  ; 
and  from  the  depths  of  the  ever-dripping  jungle  resounded  the 
hoarse  croak  of  the  horn-bill  or  there  was  wafted  the  plaintive, 
melodious  call  of  the  Wawa  monkey.  Except  for  these  sounds 
and  the  gurgling  of  the  water,  all  nature  was  absolutely  hushed, 
and  the  odor  of  damp,  rich  earth  and  warm  leaves  was  heavy, 
like  the  atmosphere  in  an  orchid-house  in  winter. 

The  banks  of  the  Dapoi  are  somewhat  thickly  populated, 
and  we  halted  at  several  houses,  where  we  made  ourselves  most 

170 


TAMA     BALAN     DENG,     A    CHIEF    OF    THE    SIBOP    TRIBE.     HIS 
THREE   DAUGHTERS,    AND   TWO   SONS. 


PIPES   AND   OTHER    REQUISITES   TO   TOBACCO   SMOKING. 

ON  THE  LEFT,  IN  THE  UPPER  HALF  OF  THE  PHOTOGRAPH,  IS  A  CARVED, 
BAMBOO  TOBACCO  BOX,  USED  BY  THE  KAYANS  TO  HOLD  BOTH  TOBACCO  AND 
ROLLS  OF  BANANA  LEAF,  WHEREOF  CIGARETTES  ARE  MADE.  NEXT  TO  IT 
IS  A  PAIR  OF  WOODEN  TOBACCO  BOXES,  PROBABLY  MADE  BY  A  KELABIT. 
ABOVE  THEM  IS  A  POUCH  OF  PLAITED  RATTAN.  THE  THREE  LONG  SECTIONS 
OF  BAMBOO,  WITH  SLIM  BOWLS  INSERTED  AT  RIGHT  ANGLES,  AND  ALSO  THE 
BENT  ROOT  WITH  A  SMALL  BOX  ATTACHED,  ARE  PIPES  USED  BY  THE  SIBOP 
TRIBE.  ON  A  RIGHT  IS  A  PLUG  OF  PALM  LEAVES,  FASTENED  IN  A  CLEFT 
STICK,  WHICH  IS  INSERTED  IN  THE  STEM  OF  A  PIPE  TO  STRAIN  THE  SMOKE 
AND  TO  KEEP  THE  ASHES  OF  TOBACCO  FROM  BEING  DRAWN  INTO  THE 
MOUTH.  NEXT  TO  IT  IS  A  FIRE-SYRINGE,  USED  BY  THE  SARIBAS  IBANS, 
CONSISTING  OF  A  BRASS  CYLINDER  LINED  WITH  LEAD,  AND  A  TIGHTLY  FIT- 
TING, VVOODEN  PISTON;  ON  THE  TIP  OF  THE  PISTON  IS  PLACED  A  SMALL 
PIECE  OF  TINDER  MADE  FROM  A  MOSSY  LICHEN,  AND  BY  DRIVING  THE  PISTON 
VIOLENTLY  INTO  THE  CYLINDER  AND  RAPIDLY  WITHDRAWING  IT,  THE  SUD- 
DEN COMPRESSION  AND  EXHAUSTION  OF  THE  AIR  IGNITE  THE  TINDER.  THE 
OPERATION  REQUIRES  GREAT  DEXTERITY.  ABOVE  ARE  TWO  SMALL  TOBACCO 
BOXES,  ONE  COVERED  WITH  BEAD-WORK,  THE  OTHER  WITH  PLAITED  FERN- 
FIBRE;  TO  THE  LATTER  ARE  ATTACHED  A  WHET  STONE  AND  A  GOURD  TO 
HOLD  A  SUPPLY  OF  PITH  BUTTS  FOR  THE  BLOW-PIPE  DARTS.  IN  THE  LEFT 
LOWER  HALF  IS  A  STRAIGHT  BAMBOO  PIPE,  USED  BY  MADANGS.  AT  THE 
BOTTOM  OF  THE  PICTURE  IS  A  BOARD,  WHEREON  CIGARETTES  ARE  ROLLED 
AND    TOBACCO    IS    CUT    INTO    THIN    STRIPS. 

(From  Tlie  Furness-ilose  Collection,  Philadelphia.) 


THE  PUNANS  17 1 

welcome  by  largesses  to  the  women  of  strips  of  bright  yellow 
or  of  gay  red  cloth,  for  frontlets,  and  to  the  men  we  gave  hand- 
fuls  of  Java  tobacco.  From  the  female  heart,  as  grateful  as,  in 
this  instance,  it  was  vain,  our  gifts  received  an  immediate  appre- 
ciation ;  when  we  took  our  departure,  the  river-bank  looked  like 
nothing  so  much  as  a  bed  of  marigolds  and  poppies  in  fullest 
bloom. 

At  dusk  we  arrived  at  Tama  Balan  Deng's, — a  village  of 
Sibops  recently  moved  over  from  the  Rejang.  The  Chief  gave 
up  his  own  room  to  us,  and,  hospitable  soul,  without  hinting  it 
to  us,  quietly  and  silently  moved  his  family  into  an  adjoining 
temporary  hut ;  for  his  house  was  only  partially  completed. 
We  found  here  that  tobacco  was  smoked  by  the  men  much  more 
frequently  in  pipes — a  rare  custom  in  this  part  of  Borneo — than 
in  cigarettes.  These  home-made  pipes  differ  so  widely  from  any  I 
have  ever  seen  or  heard  of,  that  possibly  they  are  worth  a  word 
of  description  : — The  stem  is  a  piece  of  bamboo  more  than  an 
inch  in  diameter,  into  which  is  set  a  straight,  slim  bowl,  which  can 
hold  only  a  small  wad  of  tobacco.  In  the  stem  they  insert  a 
plug  of  shredded  palm  leaves,  or  of  shavings  of  wood,  bound  on 
a  stick ;  and  then  take  the  end  of  the  stem  into  their  mouths, 
and  having  first  got  the  tobacco  well  alight  by  a  few  gentle  puffs, 
they  give  a  powerful  suck,  whereby  the  wad  of  glowing  tobacco 
is  drawn  down  through  the  bowl  into  the  stem,  but  is  prevented 
from  reaching  the  mouth  by  the  plug  of  palm  leaves.  Their 
name  for  a  tobacco-pipe  is  '  S'puk,'  which  seems  to  be  an  imita- 
tion of  the  sound  of  the  check  given  by  the  plug  of  palm  leaves 
to  the  wad  of  tobacco  under  the  vigorous  suck. 

Very  few  of  the  inmates  of  the  house  had  ever  before  seen 
white  people;  and  we  had  a  crowd  of  gaping  spectators  con- 
stantly about  us.  During  our  first  night,  almost  all  the  inmates 
crowded  into  our  room,  as  I  said  above,  where  they  remained, 
positively  the  whole  night  through,  watching  us,  exchanging 
observations  on  our  personal  appearance,  and  lost  in  wonder  at 
our  clothes,  our  marvellous  paleness,  the  colour  of  our  eyes 
and  of  our  hair.  We  opened  our  eyes  at  daylight,  in  time  to 
catch  sight  of  the  women  in  the  group  creeping  out,  almost  on 
all  fours.  This  creeping,  crouching,  feminine  mode  of  walking 
obtains  among  almost  all  the  tribes  ;  when  women  pass  a  group 


172  HOME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

of  men  on  the  veranda,  they  must  crouch  down  as  low  as  they 
can ;  or  even  when  they  have  themseh^es  been  of  the  group  and 
wish  to  leave  it,  they  must  creep  away,  not  rising  higher  than  a 
squatting  position  until  they  are  at  a  distance.  Thus  it  was,  on 
this  present  morning  ;  when  they  withdrew  from  this  inquisitive 
vigil  they  crouched  until  they  were  outside  the  room. 

Tama  Balan's  was  the  last  house  on  the  Dapoi,  and  as  we 
continued  up  the  pleasant  stream  we  seemed  to  have  left  all 
Borneo  behind  us.  Suddenly  we  caught  sight  of  a  young 
Punan  girl  standing  in  a  canoe  near  the  shore,  and  so  earnestly 
engrossed  in  stamping  grated  tapioca  root  through  a  piece  of  mat- 
ting to  strain  it,  that  she  never  noticed  our  approach.  When  at 
last  she  looked  up  and  caught  sight  of  our  canoes,  and  the  in- 
conceivable white  beings  in  them,  in  a  flash  she  snatched  up  her 
mat  and  basket  of  tapioca,  and  darted  into  the  jungle,  like  a 
startled  fawn.  She  was  such  a  pretty  picture,  as  she  stood  in  her 
canoe,  absorbed  in  her  work,  that  I  told  one  of  our  men  to  find 
her  and  lure  her  back  with  promises  of  rich  presents,  if  she 
would  allow  me  to  take  a  picture  of  her.  She  was  quickly 
found,  and  brought  back  somewhat  reluctantly ;  never  before 
had  she  seen  white  folk,  and  what  idea  the  making  of  a  picture 
conveyed  to  her  poor,  little,  bewildered  brain,  cannot  be  fathomed. 
In  reminiscence,  it  must  have  seemed  to  her  a  hideous  dream;  she 
was  told  to  go  on  with  her  work,  while  a  horrible  monster,  with 
a  face  as  pale  as  ashes,  and  incomprehensibly  clad,  stood  off  at  a 
distance,  and  placed  on  three  long  sticks  an  awful  object,  that 
expanded  and  contracted,  hid  his  face  in  a  black  cloth,  looked 
at  her  with  an  awful  eye  for  a  moment,  gave  her  a  big  piece  of 
yellow  cloth  and  a  handful  of  tobacco,  and  then  with  his  black 
object  and  long  sticks  was  off  again  in  a  canoe ; — such,  at 
least,  was  her  utterly  bewildered  and  dazed  expression,  as  she 
stood  motionless  in  her  canoe,  holding  in  her  hands  the  yellow 
cloth  and  the  tobacco,  her  only  proofs  that  she  was  not  dream- 
ing, and  glancing  from  them  to  us  alternately  as  we  disappeared 
rapidly  round  the  turn  of  the  river,  vanishing  into  empty  space 
from  which  we  had  as  suddenly  and  mysteriously  emerged.  No 
Punan  mind  could  doubt  that  she  had  been  visited  in  a  trance 
by  supernatural  Spirits. 

Not  long  after  this,  the  river  grew  so  shallow  that  we  deserted 


PUNAN    GIRL   STRAINING   GRATED   TAPIOCA. 

THE  TUBERS  ARE  FIRST  FINELY  GRATED  AND  THEN,  DILUTED  WITH 
WATER,  PLACED  IN  A  MAT,  AND  BY  A  VIGOROUS  TREADING  THE  FINE  PARTI- 
CLES ARE  STRAINED  THROUGH  AND  COLLECTED  IN  THE  BOTTOM  OF  THE  BOAT 
OR    OTHER    RECEPTACLE    USED    FOR    THE    PURPOSE. 


PUNAN    HUTS  NEAR   THE    HEAD  WATERS  OF  THE  DAPOI. 

THESE  LEAFY  SCREENS,  THE  MOST  SUBSTANTIAL  HABITATIONS  WHICH 
THE  PUNANS  EVER  BUILD,  ARE  DESERTED  AS  SOON  AS  THE  TAPIOCA  OR 
OTHER  JUNGLE  PRODUCT,  ON  WHICH  THE  PEOPLE  LIVE,  IS  EXHAUSTED  IN 
THAT  LOCALITY.  THE  PUNANS  DO  NOT  PLANT  RICE,  NOR  DO  THEY  CULTI- 
VATE ANY  CROPS,  BUT  LIVE  SOLELY  ON  WHAT  THEY  FIND  GROWING  WILD 
IN    THE    JUNGLE. 


THE  PUNANS  1 73 

the  boats,  and  walked  for  miles  and  miles,  so  it  seemed,  up  the 
bed  of  the  stream. 

At  last,  as  we  were  nearing  our  destination,  we  halted  for  rest 
and  refreshment,  at  a  rice-field  hut ;  and  here  there  strolled 
in  upon  us  one  of  the  Punans  themselves  from  the  settlement ; 
he  had  been  out  with  his  blow-pipe  after  small  game.  He  made 
no  attempt  to  conceal  his  speechless  wonderment  at  white  people, 
and  silently  gazed  at  us  in  open-eyed  and  open-mouthed  aston- 
ishment. When  our  Sibop  guide,  whom  we  had  brought  from 
Tama  Aping's,  as  an  interpreter,  asked  him  whether  he  had  ever 
before  seen  white  men,  he  replied,  with  awestruck  earnestness, 
'  Never  anything  like  them  have  I  seen  !  Surely  they  must  be 
the  Fathers  of  all  People  ! '  Ever  after  he  referred  to  us  or  ad- 
dressed us  as  his  '  fathers.' 

Not  long  after  resuming  our  march,  our  guide  suddenly  turned 
off  from  the  river-bed  into  the  open  jungle, — that  is,  jungle  in 
which  there  is  but  little  undergrowth,  except  thorny  palms  and 
rattans.  It  is  the  ideal  forest  primeval,  where  old  and  majestic 
trees  form  in  every  direction  vast,  illimitable,  solemn  vistas.  On 
a  sudden,  our  guide  asked  us  to  halt  and  keep  perfectly  silent, 
while  he  went  on  ahead  to  give  notice  to  the  Punans  that  some 
peaceful,  friendly  visitors  were  approaching.  Unless  this  notice 
were  given,  he  declared  that  the  people  would  scatter  at  the  first 
sound  of  our  approach,  and  we  should  find  nothing  but  empty 
huts.  When  he  returned,  he  guided  us  down  a  slight  hill  and 
over  a  stream,  and  through  a  dense  hedge  of  tall  plants  of  wild 
tapioca.  We  emerged  into  more  open  ground,  and  were  all  at 
once  in  the  Punan  village.  The  huts  could  be  hardly  distin- 
guished from  the  surrounding  grasses  and  palms,  so  low  and 
fragile  were  they.  The  walls  were  merely  boughs  and  twigs 
interlaced,  and  against  them  leaned  broad  palm  leaves  ;  the  roofs 
were  a  loose  thatch  of  leaves  and  boughs,  but  could  not  be  more 
waterproof  than  the  natural  roof  of  leaves  overhead.  The  '  vil- 
lage '  comprised  only  four  huts,  and  in  not  one  of  them  could 
I  stand  upright. 

Outside  the  huts,  when  we  approached,  there  seemed  to  be 
only  a  few  old  women.  Although  our  friendly  intentions  had 
been  announced,  the  younger  folks  had  hidden  in  the  huts,  so 
as  to  observe  us  from  a  safe  distance  throusrh  the  chinks  in  the 


174 


HO  ME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 


leafy  walls.  There  were  only  two  men  in  the  village  when  we 
arrived;  all  the  others  were  away  hunting  with  blow-pipes,  or 
after  camphor,  gutta-percha,  rattans,  or  other  products  of  the 
jungle,  which  from  time  to  time  they  trade  off  with  their  more 
civilized  neighbors,  the  Sibops  and  Berawans,  for  cloth,  tobacco, 
salt,  etc.  Three  old  women,  however,  at  once  greeted  us,  and, 
coming  up  boldly,  insisted  on  touching  all  of  us,  passing  their 
hands  over  our  arms  and  our  backs,  and  talking  volubly  all  the 
while  in  a  plaintive  and  much  injured  tone  of  voice.  It  was 
quite  depressing.  I  was  sure  that  we  had  unconsciously  wounded 
their  tenderest  and  holiest  feelings,  and  that  they  were  reproach- 
ing us  for  wandering  near  their  '  sacred  bower '  and  molesting 
their  '  ancient  solitary  reign  ;'  but,  before  long,  I  was  immensely 
relieved  by  finding  that  a  tone  of  petulant  but  resigned  remon- 
strance was  the  common  and  invariable  intonation  of  each  and 
all.  Little  by  little  all  fear  was  dismissed,  and  we  were  soon 
surrounded  by  a  merry,  but  sad-voiced,  crowd  of  boys  and  girls, 
young  women  and  old ;  even  babies  in  arms, — I  should  say, 
babies  in  slings  on  their  mothers'  backs, — were  pressed  forward, 
not  merely  to  look  at  us  and  to  touch  us,  but  to  be  touched  by 
us.  Gentle,  simple-hearted  creatures,  they  believed  that  merely 
to  stroke  us  or  to  be  stroked  by  us,  brought  them  blessings ; 
this  then,  we  found,  was  the  meaning  of  the  feeble  stroking  and 
caressing  touches  that  greeted  us  from  the  old  women.  Our 
interpreter  told  me,  that  what  I  had  imagined  were  reproaches, 
was  a  continuous  plaintive  murmur  of  how  good  and  kind  it  was 
of  the  wonderful  white  people  to  come  so  far  just  to  see  them 
and  bring  them  blessings.  They  examined  and  admired  every- 
thing we  had  with  us  or  on  us  ;  our  coats,  our  hats,  our  shoes, 
the  buttons  and  button-holes  on  our  clothes, — these  excited  their 
profound  wonder. 

A  book  of  photographs,  which  I  had  taken  during  a  former 
visit  to  the  Baram,  was  looked  at  over  and  over  again ;  they 
never  wearied  of  it,  and  their  clucks  of  admiration  were  constant 
while  they  explained  to  one  another  the  meaning  of  the  pictures. 
After  they  fully  understood  that  these  miraculous  pictures  had 
been  made  by  my  camera,  they  became  absolutely  without  fear 
of  having  their  pictures  taken, — indeed,  in  their  simple  hearts, 
they  had  somehow  come  to  believe  that  thereby  bodily  ailments 


WOMEN   AND   CHILDREN    OF   THE    PUNAN    SETTLEMENT    NEAR    THE 
HEAD    WATERS   OF   THE    DAPOI. 

BECAUSE  THEY  SAW  IN  THE  PHOTOGRAPHS  WHICH  I  SHOWED  THEM 
ONLY  HEALTHY-LOOKING  PEOPLE,  THEY  BELIEVED  THAT  THEREFORE  PIC- 
TURE-MAKING   MUST    BE   A    PANACEA     FOR    ALL    AILMENTS. 


HUNTING    FOR   SMALL   GAME   WITH    THE   SUMPIT. 

THESE  MEN  ARE  NOT  PUNANS,  BUT  LEPPU  ANNANS  OF  THE  TINJAR 
RIVER;  THE  MANNER  OF  HOLDING  THE  SUMPIT  IS,  HOWEVER,  THE  SAME  IN 
ALL  TRIBES.  THE  JOINT  OF  BAMBOO,  HANGING  AT  THE  BELT,  IS  THE  QUIVER 
FOR  POISONED  DARTS;  IT  IS  USUALLY  LINED  WITH  FUR,  TO  PROTECT  THE 
DELICATE  POINTS  OF  THE  DARTS.  THE  POISON  SEEMS  TO  ACT  VERY  SLOWLY 
ON  BIRDS;  UNLESS  THE  WOUND  FROM  THE  DART  CRIPPLES  THE  FLIGHT  OR 
ENTERS  A  VITAL  PART,  THE  GAME  ESCAPES  THE  HUNTER.  FOR  KILLING 
SMALL    BIRDS,  CLAY    PELLETS    ARE  QUITE    AS    EFFECTIVE    AS    DARTS. 


THE  PUNANS  1 75 

would  be  cured.  In  the  photograph  of  a  group  of  women  and 
children,  on  the  opposite  page,  in  the  corner  on  the  right,  there 
sits  a  poor,  unhappy  mother,  whose  unfortunate  little  baby  is  so 
hopelessly  and  enormously  hydrocephalic  that  it  could  never 
leave  the  basket  which  she  holds  in  her  lap.  She  begged  me  for 
medicine  to  cure  it,  but  when  I  told  her  that  there  is  none  that 
would  do  it  any  good,  she  piteously  begged  to  be  allowed  to  sit 
in  the  front  line,  so  that  the  little  patient  might  derive  the  full 
benefit  of  the  picture-making.  Just  beyond  her  stands  another 
devoted  mother,  who,  in  order  to  bring  the  powerful  curative 
effect  of  the  camera  to  bear  on  the  alleviation  of  the  severe  suf- 
ferings of  her  little  boy,  is  holding  her  hand  on  the  abdominal 
locality,  where  little  children  most  frequently  have  pains.  On 
her  right,  and  again  in  the  front  row,  are  women  afflicted  with 
goitre,  which  they,  too,  hoped  would  be  cured  by  the  picture- 
making. 

The  Punans  are  nomads,  never  building  permanent  houses, 
nor  remaining  long  in  one  locality.  Of  all  the  tribes  they  are, 
perhaps,  the  most  mild  and  gentle ;  they  are  not  head-hunters, 
and  care  no  more  for  a  collection  of  human  heads  than  for  that 
of  any  other  animal,  and,  therefore,  never  go  on  a  raid.  They 
know  the  country  more  thoroughly  than  any  other  natives,  and 
are  always  sought  by  the  Sibops,  Kayans,  Kenyahs,  and  Ibans  as 
guides  in  expeditions  after  camphor,  gutta-percha,  and  bees-wax. 
They  live  solely  on  the  products  of  the  jungle,  esculent  roots  and 
plants,  such  as  caladium,  wild  tapioca,  a  species  of  canna,  the 
tender,  uncurled  fronds  of  ferns,  and  the  heart  of  several  species 
of  palm. 

The  men  are  extremely  skilful  with  the  blow-pipe  and  in  the 
construction  of  snares  and  traps.  When  they  are  not  surfeited 
with  small  birds,  they  are  completely  happy  with  roast  or  boiled 
monkey,  and  as  for  the  small  Bornean  porcupine, — it  is  a  delicacy 
never  to  be  rejected.  For  some  reason,  which  I  could  never  dis- 
cover, they  will  not  kill  a  python.  Salt,  tobacco,  and  rice  are 
downright  luxuries.  They  cultivate  no  fields,  owing  to  their 
nomadic  life  ;  consequently,  the  Punan  fathers  and  husbands  and 
sons  work  hard  to  obtain  from  the  jungle,  far  and  near,  those 
articles  for  which  they  themselves  have  no  use,  such  as  camphor, 
bees-wax,  etc.,  which  they  can  barter  with   Malay  and  Chinese 


176  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

traders.  Most  valuable  of  all  these  articles  is  rhinoceros  horn  ; 
in  fact,  the  killing  of  a  single  rhinoceros  places  the  wealth  of  a 
Punan  village  almost  '  beyond  the  dreams  of  avarice ;'  there  is 
no  scrap  or  portion  of  the  animal  that  is  not  prized ;  the  flesh  is 
coveted  food ;  the  horn,  nails,  hair,  skin,  and  even  the  contents 
of  the  stomach,  are  traded  at  the  highest  rate  of  exchange  to  the 
Chinese,  who  use  them  all  for  medicinal  purposes. 

It  falls  to  the  lot  of  the  women  to  prepare  the  tapioca  root 
for  food,  an  operation  which  takes  the  place  of  the  monotonous 
pounding  and  threshing  of  rice  in  other  tribes. 

These  roots,  which  look  much  like  sweet  potatoes,  are  first 
scraped  or  grated  on  a  piece  of  the  stalk  of  a  rough,  scaly  palm, 
and  the  coarse  pulp  is  then  washed  and  strained  by  stamping  it 
through  a  mat  while  water  is  constantly  poured  over  it;  this 
washed  and  strained  pulp  is  then  collected  in  wooden  troughs  and 
allowed  to  settle.  The  sediment  is  a  thick,  white  paste,  which 
when  boiled  makes  a  very  palatable  farinaceous  diet.  The  paste 
may  be  also  dried  and  preserved  for  future  use.  The  roots  of 
the  Caladmm  csadentum  are  either  boiled  like  potatoes  or  mashed 
and  made  into  a  sort  of  gruel.  We  partook  of  all  the  toothsome 
dishes  of  the  Punans  except  boiled  fern-fronds  and  monkey ; 
neither  happened  to  be  in  the  Punan  larder  at  the  time.  I  must 
candidly  admit  that  to  me  the  sight  of  the  preparation  of  tapioca 
is  not  appetizing.  In  the  first  place,  the  hands  which  hold  the 
tubers  while  they  are  being  scraped  are  none  too  icy  clean,  they 
often  dabble  in  the  pulp  just  after  they  have  been  successfully 
busy  in  alleviating  a  neglected  or  troublesome  coiffure.  In  the 
next  place,  the  finely  scraped  pulp  is  taken  to  a  stream  and 
deposited  in  a  mat  which  rests  in  a  trough,  or  in  a  large  wooden 
bowl,  on  a  little  platform  over  the  stream.  The  operator  then 
jumps  into  the  mash  and  executes  therein  a  lively  dance,  while, 
from  time  to  time,  a  small  boy  dips  up  water  from  the  stream  and 
splashes  it  over  the  legs  of  the  dancer,  to  wash  down  the  parti- 
cles that  may  have  been  spattered  up,  and  also  to  moisten  the 
mash.  Strange  to  say,  the  paste,  when  strained,  is  of  the  most 
pure  and  dazzling  whiteness. 

To  be  sure,  this  operation  is  no  worse  than  wine-making ; 
but  then  we  very  seldom  see  the  must  foaming  round  '  the  white 
feet  of  laughing  girls ;'  whereas  we  cannot  pass  a  day,  where 


SIBOP   GIRLS   IN    THE    HOUSE   OF   TAMA    BALAN   DENG   GRATING 
TUBERS   OF   TAPIOCA. 

THIS  IS  THE  FIRST  STAGE  IN  THE  PREPARATION  OF  TAPIOCA;  AFTER 
THE  ROOTS  HAVE  BEEN  FINELY  GRATED  BY  RUBBING  THEM  ON  PIECES  OF 
ROUGH,  SCALY  PALM-STEM,  THE  MASH  IS  STRAINED  THROUGH  A  CLOSELY 
WOVEN    MAT. 


PUNAN    WOMEN    STRAINING   GRATED   TAPIOCA    ROOTS. 

THE  GRATED  TAPIOCA  IS  THEN  PLACED  ON  A  MAT  IN  A  WOODEN  TROUGH, 
WHICH  IS  SUPPORTED  ON  A  PLATFORM  OVER  A  STREAM,  AND  BY  EXECUTING 
ON  THE  PULP  A  LIVELY  DANCE,  THE  FEET,  NONE  TOO  IMMACULATE,  OF  THE 
WOMEN  PRESS  OUT  THE  FINE  WHITE  PASTE,  WHICH  IS  WASHED  THROUGH 
THE  MAT  BY  CONSTANT  ADDITIONS  OF  WATER  DIPPED  UP  AND  POURED  INTO 
THE  MASH  BY  A  SMALL  BOY  WITH  A  LARGE  PALM-LEAF  LADLE.  THE  PASTE 
SINKS  TO  THE  BOTTOM  OF  THE  TROUGH   AND  THE  WATER    IS    DRAINED    OFF. 


THE  PUNANS  1 77 

tapioca  is  the  standing  diet,  without  seeing  our  dinner  mashed 
by  girhsh  feet  by  no  means  white, — or  clean. 

Our  men  built  for  us  a  temporary  hut,  which,  in  comparison 
with  any  of  the  Punan  huts,  was  a  palace ;  unfortunately,  it  had 
one  serious  defect ;  its  location  seemed  to  be  over  an  extremely 
popular  thoroughfare  of  stinging  ants, — those  veritable  little 
devils.  Just  as  we  were  about  to  turn  in  for  the  night,  a  broad 
procession  of  thousands  of  them,  every  single  one  with  its  vicious 
Httle  tail  turned  defiantly  up,  began  a  diabolical  march  across  our 
floor  of  bark.  The  natives,  however,  immediately  built  a  small 
fire  directly  in  their  path,  which  at  once  caused,  first,  a  stampede 
of  the  vanguard,  and  then  all  the  rest  turned  tail,  and,  still  in 
quadruple  or  sextuple  file,  retreated  somewhat  more  rapidly  than 
they  had  advanced,  and,  at  last,  all  disappeared  under  the  leaves 
on  the  ground  outside.  Next  to  land-leeches,  they  are  the  most 
pestiferous  and  noxious  insects  in  the  jungle.  They  do  not  wait 
to  be  attacked,  but  are  instantly  aggressive  when  a  victim  comes 
within  their  ken  ;  and  they  know  to  a  nicety  where  the  skin  is 
most  sensitive.  Their  bite  is  quite  as  severe  as  the  sting  of  a 
wasp  or  of  a  hornet. 

The  Punans  are  pure  jungle-folk,  and  know  very  little 
about  canoeing  or  swimming.  When  we  asked  to  be  taken  to 
some  place  where  we  could  bathe,  we  were  led  about  a  mile 
away  to  a  delightful,  deep,  sandy-bottomed  pool ;  but  our  guide 
thither  could  not  be  persuaded  to  enter  the  water,  and  warned  us 
repeatedly  to  be  careful,  as  the  water  was  very  deep, — it  was 
hardly  up  to  our  waists.  When  we  ducked  under,  a  native 
bystander  shouted  in  genuine  terror  that  one  of  the  'white 
fathers  '  was  drowned. 

To  test  their  skill  in  marksmanship  with  the  blow-pipe,  we 
fastened  a  potato  about  an  inch  and  a  half  in  diameter  on  a  pole, 
and  from  a  distance  of  fifty  paces  they  stuck  in  it  six  darts  out 
of  teru  For  small  birds,  they  seldom  use  darts,  which  cost  some 
trouble  to  make ;  little  pellets  of  clay  are  equally  effective ; 
poisoned  darts  are  reserved  for  monkeys  and  larger  game. 
They  assert  that  with  a  properly  prepared  dart  they  can  kill 
even  the  formidable  rhinoceros.  For  such  large  game,  the  point 
is  weighted  with  a  little  triangular  head  of  bamboo  or  of  tin, 
which  carries  more  poison,  and  becomes  detached  in  the  wound. 

12 


i;8  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

When  we  bade  farewell,  we  gladdened  every  Punan  heart  by 
distributing  all  that  remained  of  our  gay  cloth  and  good  tobacco  ; 
the  cloth  was  quite  sufficient  for  eveiy  woman  and  child  in  the 
village  to  meet  the  tolerant  demands  of  fashion  in  the  way  of 
apparel ;  and  as  for  the  tobacco, — I  longed  to  know  what  pro- 
digious stories  they  would  rehearse,  as  they  sat  round  their  fires 
in  the  evening,  of  the  marvellous  appearance  and  mysterious 
actions  of  the  '  White  Fathers.'  But  my  heart  was  woeful  for 
that  little  mother  as,  day  by  day,  she  would  discover  that  the 
'  picture-making '  had  brought  no  heahng  balm  to  her  poor, 
hydrocephalic  boy. 

There  is  one  product  of  the  Punan  country  which  I  think 
deserves  a  note :  it  is  that  luxury  so  dear  to  the  Chinese  palate, 
the  edible  nests  built  by  swallows,  or  swifts,  in  certain  limestone 
caves.  In  the  Niah  hills,  near  the  coast,  these  caves  have  been 
the  breeding-places  of  these  birds  from  time  immemorial,  and  in 
supplying  the  market  with  their  nests  the  Punans  have  been  for 
many  a  year  employed  by  Chinese  traders,  and  the  estimate  is 
well  within  bounds  that  several  hundred  tons  of  nests  have  been 
there  gathered  by  this  tribe. 

Within  the  caves  of  Mt.  Subis, — one  of  the  Niah  hills, — there 
is  a  small  settlement  of  Punans  who,  during  the  building  season, 
collect  nests.  There  are  three  harvests  of  nests,  then  the  season 
closes,  and  the  swallows  are  allowed  to  rebuild  undisturbed  and 
rear  their  brood. 

When  I  visited  the  village  of  Niah  and  the  caves  in  Mt.  Subis, 
the  season  was  closed,  but  it  had  been  so  very  successful  and  had 
kept  all  the  natives  so  busy  that  those,  whose  duty  it  was  to 
attend  to  the  rice  crop,  had  neglected  it;  consequently,  the 
people  of  Niah, — a  mixed  tribe  of  Malanaus  and  Punans, — were 
actually  suffering  from  a  rice  famine ;  boats  had  been  sent  to 
neighbouring  villages  to  purchase  rice,  but  they  had  been  away 
for  thirty  days  or  more,  and  almost  every  pound  in  the  village 
had  been  consumed,  except  a  goodly  store  in  the  secure  grana- 
ries of  a  stingy,  avaricious  old  head-man,  Orang  Kaya  Perkassa 
by  name,  who  demanded  such  an  unconscionably  exorbitant  price 
for  it  that  even  to  starving  men  it  was  almost  prohibitory. 

And  thereby  hangs  a  tale.  A  strange  old  fellow  was  this 
Orang  Kaya  Perkassa,  tottering  on  the  brink  of  the  grave,  and. 


PUNAN    WOMAN    CARRYING    HER    BABY    IN   A   SLING    MADE 
OF   RATTAN. 

THIS  MODE  OF  CARRYING  CHILDREN  ENABLES  THE  MOTHER  TO  HAVE 
BOTH  HER  HANDS  FREE,  AND  THE  SOMEWHAT  CRAMPED  POSITION  OF  THE 
CHILD  KEEPS  IT  OUT  OF  MISCHIEF.  ON  THESE  SLINGS  ARE  USUALLY  HUNG 
SHELLS  OF  LAND  SNAILS,  CURIOUS  KNOTS  OF  WOOD,  MALFORMED  BOAR 
TUSKS,  OR  SEVERAL  LARGE  BEADS,  ALL  OF  WHICH  ARE  EXCEEDINGLY  EFFEC- 
TIVE IN  WARDING  OFF  THE  EVIL  SPIRITS,  WHOSE  OBJECT  IT  IS  TO  HARASS 
SMALL    CHILDREN. 


THE  PUNANS  179 

possibly  for  this  very  reason,  saturated  with  superstition.  1 
took  the  opportunity,  when  he  happened  to  pay  me  a  visit, 
to  beg  him  graciously  to  grant  me  the  privilege  of  taking  his 
picture.  He  refused  point-blank  and  with  unusual  vehemence  ; 
but  at  last  he  so  far  relented  that  he  professed  his  willingness  to 
submit  to  the  hazardous  operation,  if  he  might  be  allowed  to 
return  to  his  house  and  procure  such  charms  as  would  safeguard 
his  person  and  counteract  the  baleful  effects  of  the  picture- 
making.  Of  course,  I  readily  acquiesced,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
he  reappeared  with  a  ponderous  bundle  of  infallible  charms,  (they 
may  be  seen  in  his  photograph,  girdling  his  waist,)  which  were 
oddly  shaped  pebbles,  malformed  boars'  tusks,  strange  knots  of 
wood,  etc.,  (I  was  not  permitted  to  see  them,  but  from  my  knowl- 
edge of  Bornean  charms,  I  cannot  be  far  astray.)  As  soon  as  the 
exposure  was  over,  in  an  imperative  tone  he'  demanded  a  picture 
of  myself,  saying,  '  Since  the  Tuan  now  has  my  picture,  it  is  in 
his  power  to  do  all  manner  of  harm  to  me,  unless  I  have  one  of 
him  to  keep  me  safe.'  Before  T  had  time  to  tell  him  that  I  really 
had  no  picture  of  myself  with  me,  several  of  the  natives  who  had 
accompanied  me  on  the  trip  besought  me  most  urgently  to  refuse 
his  request,  insisting  that  should  this  wicked  old  man  once  get 
hold  of  my  likeness  he  would  work  most  powerful  charms  with 
it,  and  I  should  inevitabh^  die  within  the  month. 

It  appeared  that  Orang  Kaya  Perkassa  had  recently  suffered, 
under  his  own  roof,  an  extraordinary  piece  of  ill-luck ;  a  Malay 
had  there  run  amuck,  and,  after  slashing  several  of  the  inmates 
very  severely  with  his  parang,  had  fled  to  a  hut  on  the  river-bank, 
where  he  had  been  surrounded  and  finally  speared  to  death. 
This,  of  course,  involved  no  end  of  bad  luck  to  the  Orang 
Kaya's  house  ;  wherefore  to  exorcise  the  evil  Spirits  a  great  feast 
had  been  held,  poles  elaborately  decorated  with  carved  faces  were 
erected  to  frighten  away  demons ;  and,  finally,  the  blood  of 
slaughtered  pigs  and  chickens,  together  with  pieces  of  their  flesh, 
was  sprinkled  over  both  cooked  and  uncooked  rice,  which,  com- 
bined with  salt  and  native  ginger,  was  enclosed  in  small  packages, 
and  solemnly  placed  in  a  miniature  boat  and  set  adrift  on  the 
river,  to  the  end  that  it  might  bear  out  to  sea  all  the  ill-luck  of 
the  household,  and  waft  it  where  it  could  do  no  one  any  harm. 

After  I  had  finished  photographing  the  Orang  Kaya  in  my 


l8o  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

own  quarters,  I  left  him  busy  talking  to  some  of  his  friends, 
and,  with  my  camera,  strolled  casually  toward  his  house.  After 
having  taken  a  picture  of  the  '  demon  frighteners '  erected  near 
his  dwelling,  my  attention  was  attracted  to  a  collection,  on  his 
veranda,  of  uncouth,  worm-eaten,  water-worn,  wooden  idols, 
openly  displayed  on  a  shelf  and  draped  with  extremely  dirty 
bits  of  coloured  cloth.  I  had  just  finished  photographing  them, 
when  the  Orang  Kaya  himself  suddenly  hobbled  up  the  notched 
log,  and  was  at  my  elbow.  He  was  exceedingly  angry,  I  am 
sorry  to  say,  at  my  boldness  in  taking  a  picture  of  them  during 
his  absence,  and  I  did  my  very  best  to  soothe  him,  and  apologized 
humbly  for  my  intrusion  by  urging  my  ignorance.  I  succeeded 
at  last  in  appeasing  him,  and  had  just  calmed  him  into  a  fairly 
peaceable  frame  of  mind,  when,  unwittingly  and  most  unluckily,  I 
undid  all  that  I  had  done,  by  innocently  offering  to  buy  one  of 
the  worm-eaten  figures.  Never  shall  I  forget  the  violent,  vehe- 
ment, towering  rage  into  which  he  fell,  nor  the  flood  of  Malay 
which  my  proposal  called  forth.  '  How  dare  Tuan  ask  such  a 
thing  ?'  he  almost  shrieked,  his  wrinkled  and  cross-wrinkled 
features  working  with  rage.  '  Shall  I  sell  for  money  my  gods  of 
good  fortune !  Those  are  gods,  gods,  I  tell  you  !  they  are  not 
wood  !  they  are  my  honored  guests,  my  dearest  friends !  from 
the  broad  sea  they  came  to  me  !  and  they  will  bring  me  blessings 
if  their  livers  are  not  enraged  by  having  a  picture  made  of  them. 
Never  would  I  have  suffered  it  had  I  been  here ;  the  people  in 
the  house  should  have  stopped  it !  Surely,  surely  more  misfor- 
tunes will  now  fall  on  me  !' 

He  then  stamped  into  his  room  and  slammed  the  door.  The 
evil  my  camera  had  done  must  be  thwarted.  Accordingly,  from 
that  sunset  till  dawn,  and  even  into  broad  daylight,  every  gong, 
big  and  little,  in  the  Orang  Kaya's  house  was  kept  hot  with  beat- 
ing. All  through  the  weary  vigils  of  that  night  we  heard  this 
incessant  din.  '  The  good  that's  done  we  may  compute,  but  not 
the  ill  prevented ;'  therefore,  who  can  say  what  success  attended 
this  fervent  zeal  ?  That  it  was  not  successful,  the  Orang  Kaya 
himself  probably  believed.  For  certain  it  is  that  he  sickened 
and  died  within  three  or  four  weeks.  His  death  was  really  due,  I 
believe,  to  old  age,  hastened  by  an  unbridled  temper  and  a  life 
of  avarice,  so  strong  that,  as  I  have  mentioned,  he  was  willing 


ORANG-KAYA    PERKASSA,    HEAD-MAN   IN    THE    MALANAU 
VILLAGE   AT    NIAH. 

ROUND  HIS  WAIST  IS  TIED  A  BUNDLE  OF  HIGHLY  POTENT  CHARMS,  WORN 
ESPECIALLY  FOR  THIS  OCCASION,  TO  COUNTERACT  THE  EVIL  EFFECTS  OF 
HAVING  HIS  PHOTOGRAPH  TAKEN.  IN  HIS  LEFT  HAND  HE  IS  HOLDING  A 
NATIVE-MADE  CIGARETTE  OF  THE  USUAL,  GENEROUS  SIZE.  THE  CHARMS 
WERE,  HOWEVER,  IMPOTENT;  A  ^ONTH  AFTER  THE  PHOTOGRAPH  WAS  TAKEN 
HE    DIED. 


THE   HOUSEHOLD   GODS   OF   ORANG-KAYA    PERKASSA. 

THESE  WATER-WORN,  WOODEN  IMAGES  WERE  WASHED  UP  ON  THE  BEACH 
AT  THE  MOUTH  OF  THE  NIAH  RIVER;  THE  ORANG-KAYA,  PERCEIVING  AT  ONCE 
THAT  THEY  HAD  COME,  OF  THEIR  OWN  FREE  WILL,  TO  BRING  HIM  GOOD 
FORTUNE,  ESTABLISHED  THEM  IN  A  PLACE  OF  HONOUR  IN  THE  VERANDA  OF 
HIS    HOUSE,    AND    ADORNED    THEM    WITH    SUITABLE    RAIMENT. 

THE  FEATHERED  WAR-COAT  HANGING  TO  THE  LEFT  OF  THE  IMAGES  WAS 
WORN  BY  THE  ORANG-KAYA  AT  THE  TIME  OF  THE  FEAST,  WITH  ITS  ATTEN- 
DANT SACRIFICE  OF  PIGS,  WHICH  WAS  HELD  TO  COUNTERACT  THE  EVIL 
ENTAILED  BY  THE  VIOLENT  AND  SUDDEN  DEATH  OF  A  MEMBER  OF  THE  HOUSE- 
HOLD WHO  RAN  AMUCK.  THE  BLOOD-SMEARED  COAT  IS  HUNG  NEAR  THE 
GODS,  TO  ASSURE  THEM  THAT  EVERY  RITE  HAD  BEEN  PERFORMED  TO  PRE- 
SERVE   THEIR    DIGNITY. 


THE  PUNANS  l8i 

his  neighbors  and  even  his  own  household  should  die  of  starva- 
tion if  only  he  could  add  to  his  wealth. 

His  people,  I  learned  afterward,  attributed  his  death  to  my 
camera,  but  I  rather  imagine  that  by  this  time  they  have  found 
out  that  my  camera  really  brought  them  an  unmixed  blessing  in 
disguise. 

Mt.  Subis  is  only  about  fifteen  hundred  feet  high,  and  the 
entrance  to  the  birds'-nest  cave  on  the  mountain  side  is  some 
little  distance  from  the  base,  and  can  be  gained  only  by  a  very 
tortuous  and  narrow  path  round  the  ledges  and  projections  of 
slippery  limestone. 

Not  far  from  the  main  cave  is  a  smaller  one,  known  as  the 
*  Traders'  cave,'  wherein  is  a  village  of  twenty  or  thirty  huts, 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  Chinese  traders  who  come  to  pay 
for  the  nests  that  have  been  collected.  It  is  a  village  of  houses 
without  roofs ;  within  the  cave  there  is  no  fear  of  the  sun  smit- 
ing by  day  nor  the  moon  by  night,  nor  of  rain  from  clouds  ; 
consequently,  the  houses  are  merely  walls  and  floors,  and 
pretty  wobbly  walls  and  floors  in  addition.  The  roof  of  the 
cave,  frescoed  with  green  mould  and  lichen,  is  fifty  or  sixty  feet 
overhead,  with  irregular  projections  of  limestone,  but  free  from 
stalactites.  No  swallows  build  here,  the  cave  is  too  light  and 
shallow. 

The  Punans'  cave,  beyond,  is  of  majestic  size ;  just  within  the 
entrance  the  floor  dips  abruptly  to  a  deep  valley,  and  the  roof 
curves  upward  in  a  vast  dome  ;  hence,  from  the  level  of  the  val- 
ley to  the  roof  is  at  least  six  hundred  feet.  Insensate,  indeed, 
must  he  be  who  is  not  filled  with  speechless  awe  as  he  turns 
from  the  brilliant  sunshine  and  enters  this  illimitable  abode  of 
silence  and  of  night.  It  seemed  the  veritable  entrance  to  the 
Inferno ;  and  as  the  light  from  the  opening  struck  the  massive 
projections  here  and  there,  and  cast  long,  blacker  shadows,  it 
became  a  landscape  in  the  moon,  while  the  appalling,  death-like 
stillness  seemed  to  presage  a  frightful  cataclysm  in  nature. 
Underfoot  is  a  deep  carpet, — fully  three  feet  deep, — of  what 
seemed  tan-bark,  but  which  proved  to  be  a  fine,  dr}',  odorless 
guano,  composed  mostly  of  the  wing-covers  of  insects,  of  a  dark- 
brown  color;  the  jagged   sides  and  roof,  and  here   and  there 


t82  ho  me- life   of  BORNEO   HEAD-HUNTERS 

boulders  projecting  through  the  covering  of  the  floor,  were  cov- 
ered with  a  deep-green  mould  or  lichen,  except  where  the  white 
limestone  gleamed  out  in  patches  and  seemed  almost  phospho- 
rescent. The  extent  beyond,  in  the  utter  darkness,  seemed  illim- 
itable. 

Our  presence  and  the  echoing  of  our  voices  soon  startled  the 
swallows,  and  forth  they  emerged,  in  myriads  on  myriads,  from 
the  darkness,  and  circled  round  us  and  above  us,  and  about  the 
mouth  of  the  cave  like  swarming  bees  ;  the  whirr  of  their  wings 
and  their  twittering  sounded  like  waves  on  a  pebbly  beach. 

On  a  flat  ledge  at  one  side,  near  the  entrance,  was  a  line  of 
fifteen  or  twenty  of  the  platform  dwellings  of  the  Punans,  even 
more  fragile  and  tumble-down  than  the  huts  in  the  'Traders' 
cave.'  At  the  time  of  our  visit,  the  huts  were  deserted,  giving 
an  air  of  even  greater  desolation. 

The  nests  are  obtained  by  lashing  long,  stout  poles,  end  to 
end,  and  then  supporting  them  with  guy-ropes  of  rattan  until 
they  reach  to  the  very  top  of  the  cave.  Up  these  poles  the  agile 
Punans  climb  hand  over  hand  and  foot  over  foot,  walking  up 
them  like  monkeys ;  when  at  the  top,  they  scrape  down  the 
nests  within  reach,  by  means  of  a  long  pole  bearing  a  hoe-like 
blade,  and  with  a  home-made  wax  candle  fastened  to  it  to  show 
where  the  nests  are.  An  assistant  below  gathers  the  nests  as 
they  fall.  There  are  two  varieties  of  nest,  the  black  and  the 
white ;  the  latter  sell  for  two  thousand  Mexican  dollars  a  picul, 
(one  hundred  and  twenty-three  pounds,)  the  black  nests  bring 
only  a  hundred  dollars  for  the  same  weight.  Unfortunately,  the 
Niah  caves  are  '  black  nest '  caves  ;  but  the  nests  are  so  very- 
abundant  that  the  export  revenue  tax  assessed  on  them  by 
the  Sarawak  Government  amounts  to  thousands  of  dollars  in 
a  year. 

The  Punans,  however,  are  not  the  owners  of  the  poles  in  the 
caves,  but,  on  account  of  their  skill  in  climbing,  are  hired  by  a 
Malay  or  Chinaman,  who  pays  so  much  a  season  to  the  Govern- 
ment for  all  the  nests  gathered  in  an  area  prescribed  by  the  length 
of  the  detaching-pole.  The  Punans  do  not  use  the  nests  as  food, 
and  have  learned  their  value  and  the  best  times  and  methods  of 
harvesting  them  only  since  Chinese  and  Malay  traders  have  come 
to    Niah.     The    caves,    however,    have    been    inhabited   by   the 


THE    BIRDS'-NEST   CAVES   AT    NIAH. 

THE  LINES  INTERSECTING  THE  PHOTOGRAPH  DIAGONALLY  FROM  RIGHT 
TO  LEFT  ARE  GUY  ROPES  OF  RATTAN,  SUPPORTING  THE  POLES  WHEREON 
THE  COLLECTORS  CLIMB  TO  REACH  THE  NESTS.  THE  PHOTOGRAPH  WAS 
TAKEN  FROM  THE  CREST  OF  AN  ELEVATION,  ABOUT  FIFTY  YARDS  WITHIN 
THE  MOUTH  OF  THE  CAVE,  WHENCE  A  VIEW  COULD  BE  OBTAINED  ACROSS  A 
DEEP  VALLEY  TO  THE  SUMMIT  OF  ANOTHER  HILL.  THE  GROUND  WITHIN 
THE  CAVE  WAS  COVERED  WITH  A  FINE,  DRY  GUANO,  ABOUT  THREE  FEET  IN 
DEPTH  AND  OF  A  DARK-BROWN  COLOUR,  APPARENTLY  COMPOSED  MAINLY  OF 
THE    REMAINS    OF    BEETLES. 


v^ 


^<^ 


PUNAN    HUTS   WITHIN    THE    BIRDS'-NEST   CAVES. 


WITH  THE  ROOF  OF  THE  CAVE  OVERHEAD,  THERE  IS  NO  NEED  OF  ROOFS 
TO  THE  HOUSES;  CONSEQUENTLY,  THIS  IS  A  VILLAGE  OF  HOUSES  WITHOUT 
HOUSE-TOPS. 


THE  PUNANS  1 83 

Punans  for  very  many  years.  We  found  tobacco  growing  wild 
not  far  from  the  mouth,  and  we  were  told  that  it  is  to  be  found 
in  considerable  quantities  all  about  this  locality.  The  Punans 
know  it  well  and  gather  it,  but  maintain  that  it  is  none  of  their 
planting,  and  that  it  has  been  known  to  them  and  used  by  them 
as  long  as  they  can  remember. 

As  to  the  relationship  of  the  Punans  to  the  other  tribes  of  the 
interior,  Aban  Deng,  of  the  clan  of  Long  Wats,  (who  in  turn  are 
closely  allied  to  the  Kayans,  Kenyahs,  and  Sibops,)  gave  us  the 
following  account : — '  An  old  Chief  living  far  in  the  interior  high- 
lands of  Borneo,  left,  at  his  death,  two  sons,  one  of  whom  was 
energetic  and  laboured  in  the  rice-clearings,  while  the  other  was 
incorrigibly  lazy.  With  such  different  temperaments,  the  affairs 
of  their  common  household  soon  became  much  disordered,  and 
they  agreed  to  separate,  each  one  choosing  the  families  that  were 
to  follow  them,  and  thereafter  all  were  to  live  as  they  pleased. 
The  lazy  brother  and  his  adherents,  who  preferred  hunting  and 
roaming,  betook  themselves  to  the  jungle,  never  built  houses 
nor  cultivated  rice  ;  their  descendants  are  the  Punans  of  to-day. 
The  industrious  brother,  named  Phan,  and  his  adherents  cleared 
the  hills  of  jungle,  planted  rice,  and  built  strong  houses  ;  from 
them  are  descended  the  Sibops  and  Long  Wats.  The  Punans, 
after  many  years  of  wandering,  determined  to  begin  the  cultiva- 
tion of  rice ;  two  of  their  Chiefs  collected  them  in  a  fertile  valley 
near  the  base  of  "  Bukit  Bulan,"  or  the  Mountain  of  the  Moon, 
that  high  mountain  in  the  centre  of  Kalamantan,  (Borneo,)  and 
they  all  set  to  work  clearing  off  the  jungle,  while  the  Chiefs 
stood  in  a  group  and  gave  directions  on  all  sides.  The  Punans, 
utterly  unversed,  however,  in  the  cultivation  of  land,  set  fire  in 
many  places  at  once  to  the  jungle  when  it  was  felled,  and  their 
leaders,  thus  surrounded  by  a  circle  of  fire,  perished  in  the 
flames.  Dispirited  and  discouraged  at  the  loss  of  their  leaders, 
they  once  more  scattered,  and  have  ever  since  wandered  in 
small  bands  throughout  the  jungle,  depending  on  their  blow- 
pipe, and  snares,  and  the  fruits  of  the  forest,  for  their  suste- 
nance.' 

When  a  Punan  of  the  common  class  dies,  his  body  is  stretched 
out  simply  in  a  little  hut  of  boughs  and  leaves,  with  no  further 
burial.     The  corpse  of  a  head-man  or  of  one  of  his  family  is,  on 


1 84  HO  ME- LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

the  other  hand,  wrapped  in  a  coarse  mat  or  a  sheet  of  bark- 
cloth,  and,  doubled  up  in  a  squatting  position,  is  forced  into  one 
of  the  baskets  they  use  for  carrying  loads  on  their  backs.  It  is 
then  placed  on  a  platform  of  poles,  and  over  it  a  flimsy  shelter 
of  leaves. 

Were  the  choice  of  a  residence  in  a  Bornean  tribe  forced  on 
me,  I  should  not  hesitate  long  in  casting  my  lot  with  the  Punans. 
They  have  never  a  thought  of  the  morrow ;  no  cares ;  no  re- 
sponsibilities ;  no  possessions  ;  no  enemies,  for  they  desire  noth- 
ing that  other  people  have,  not  even  clothes ;  money  is  dross ; 
and  home  is  where  they  rest  their  blow-pipes  and  hang  up  their 
parangs.  Night  can  never  find  them  homeless  ;  home  is  where- 
ever  the  setting  sun  finds  them ;  does  rain  threaten,  a  few  poles 
and  a  few  leaves  make  a  house ;  let  the  night  be  clear,  and  a 
soft  bed  of  leaves  in  a  nook  between  the  great  flat  roots  of  a 
Tapang  tree  is  luxury  itself;  for  'where  youth  with  unstuffed 
brain  [never  was  a  Punan  brain  *  stuffed ']  doth  couch  his 
limbs,  there  golden  sleep  doth  reign.' 

And,  finally,  in  the  happy  land  of  the  Punan  there  is  no 
dressing  and  undressing  morning  and  evening. 


PUNANS   CAMPED    FOR   THE    NIGHT. 

A  LARGE,  FLAT  BUTTRESS  ROOT  OF  A  TAPANG  TREE  FORMS  THE  BACK- 
GROUND ON  THE  RIGHT.  THE  STICKS  CUT  INTO  CURLED  SHAVINGS  ARE 
THE  CHARMS  INVARIABLY  PUT  UP  TO  V^^ARD  OFF  EVIL  SPIRITS.  THE  HEAD- 
MAN OF  THE  PARTY  IS  HONOURED  WITH  THE  PROTECTION  OF  A  ROOF  OF 
PALM  LEAVES,  BUT  HIS  FOLLOWERS  SLEEP  EITHER  ON  THE  GROUND  OR 
ON  PALM-LEAF  MATS,  WITH  NO  OTHER  COVERING  THAN  THE  'CLOISTERED 
BOUGHS'  OVERHEAD. 


i2M 


TUBA-FISHING 

There  are  two  varieties  of  Tuba  *  known  to  the  natives,  and 
used  by  them  to  poison  fish  in  streams ;  these  two  varieties  are 
called  by  them  '  Tuba  Berabut,' — a  shrub,  and  '  Tuba  Ja  Jaran,' 
— a  creeper  ;  Tuba  Berabut  is  more  generally  used,  and  is  known 
to  Botany  as  Derris  elliptica.  The  poison  is  extracted  from  the 
bark  of  the  creeper,  and  from  the  tubers  and  roots  of  the  shrub. 
It  seems  to  kill  the  fish  by  suffocation,  and  does  not  injure  them 
for  food ;  and  as  they  do  not  die  at  once,  but  rise  to  the  surface 
of  the  water,  and  dart  hither  and  thither  to  evade  the  poison, 
there  is  not  a  little  sport  in  spearing  them  or  scooping  them  up 
in  nets ;  at  any  rate,  a  Tuba-fishing  is  made  a  great  occasion  by 
all  the  tribes,  and  furnishes  almost  as  fruitful  a  topic  of  conversa- 
tion as  a  war  expedition.  To  none  of  the  tribes  is  the  sport 
more  attractive  than  to  the  Kenyahs,  who  live  in  the  mountain- 
ous districts  of  the  interior  of  the  island. 

The  streams  usually  selected  for  this  form  of  fishing,  are  the 
tributaries  of  the  larger  rivers, — mountain  streams  as  clear  and 
cool  as  crystal,  flowing  over  pebbly  beds.  High  over-arching 
trees,  draped  and  festooned  with  ferns,  orchids,  and  vines,  ward 
off  the  heat  of  the  sun  and  tone  down  its  glare  to  that  emerald, 
translucent  green  of  damp,  dense  tropical  forests.  The  swish  and 
tinkle  of  the  water  as  it  rushes  over  the  rapids  above  and  below 
the  deep  pools  which  the  fish  frequent,  and  the  musical  calls  of 
the  Wawa  monkeys,  alone  break  the  stillness,  until  the  arrival 
of  the  merry,  happy  party  of  fishers  from  a  Kenyah  long-house. 
The  women  are  bedecked  in  their  finer}'  of  gay  head-gear  and 

*  Allow  me  to  call  attention  to  the  fact,  whereof  the  significance  I  am  hardly 
competent  to  judge,  that  in  the  Mohammedan  Paradise  '  the  most  remarkable  tree  is 
called  Tflba,  or  the  tree  of  happiness,'  which  among  its  manifold  blessings,  '  will 
supply  the  blessed  with  food.'  Sale's  Koran.  Preliminary  Discourse,  p.  68,  ed. 
London,  1857. 

185 


1 86  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

bright  bead-work  necklaces.  The  young,  unmarried  damsels 
prove  to  be  the  life  of  the  party,  and  are  endlessly  chaffing  their 
lovers ;  the  sidelong  glances  from  beneath  palm-leaf  hats  are  as 
arch  and  coquettish  as  any  ever  cast  from  behind  a  spangled  fan. 
Fun  and  innocent  frolic  rule  supreme  as  the  canoes  race  and 
jostle  with  each  other  round  sharp  turns  where  the  stream  runs 
swift,  or  over  the  turbulent  rapids.  The  women  catch  the  excite- 
ment of  the  fierce,  desperate  paddling;  they  stand  up  to  the 
work,  their  jet-black  hair  streams  over  their  shoulders,  their 
tawny  bodies  sway  with  the  boat  as  they  dash  from  their  paddles 
the  '  tender,  curving  lines  of  creamy  spray.'  The  men  shout  in 
triumph  or  laugh  in  defeat ;  and  even  the  old  crones  cackle  and 
urge  on  the  youths  to  the  sport.  The  scene  is  idyllic ;  there  is 
nothing  to  revolt,  everything  to  charm.  Careless,  untamed  life 
amid  a  tropical  jungle  is  to  be  seen  at  its  very  fairest  on  one  of 
these  Tuba-fishings  among  the  Kenyahs. 

The  best  time  for  the  sport  is  during  the  dry  season,  when 
the  rivers  are  low  and  the  stones,  left  bare  on  the  wide  banks  of 
the  river,  supply  material  for  the  dams,  where  the  fish  may  be 
'  rounded  up.'  A  dam  is  built  of  loose  stones,  either  straight 
across  the  river,  or  else  in  a  wedge-shape  with  the  point  up- 
stream, thus  forcing  the  fish  close  to  the  bank  on  each  side, 
where  the  chase  is  to  end.  When  it  has  been  built  about  eigh- 
teen inches  high,  a  platform  of  rattans,  with  little  fences  at  the 
sides,  is  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  dam  or  wherever  the  fish  will 
be  apt  to  congregate.  The  up-river  end  of  this  platform  rests  on 
the  bottom  of  the  stream,  and  the  down-river  end  is  about  on  a 
level  with  the  surface  of  the  water.  In  their  mad  endeavour  to 
escape  the  suffocating  poison,  the  fish  make  futile  attempts  to 
leap  the  dam,  but  by  the  force  of  the  stream  and  their  own 
exertions  they  land  on  the  platform,  where  an  active  watcher 
deals  death  to  them  with  a  stick. 

The  day  before  the  expedition,  all  who  wish  to  have  a  share 
in  the  fish  must  contribute  a  due  proportion  of  Tuba  root,  which 
is  gathered  in  the  jungle  and  scorched  over  a  fire  to  make  it 
more  virulent.  After  the  Tuba  has  been  gathered  and  the  day 
appointed  for  the  fishing,  then  so  much  as  even  to  breathe  the 
name  of  Tuba  is  forbidden ;  if  reference  must  be  made  to  it, 
then  it  is  to  be  called  '  pakat  Abong ;'  Abong  is  a  strong-smell- 


SCENE   ON   A    LEVEL   STRETCH    OF    RIVER    IN    THE   CENTRAL- 
HIGHLANDS. 


TUBA-FISHING  187 

ing  root  something  like  Tuba,  and  pakat  means  to  agree  upon  ; 
thus,  '  pakat  Abong  '  means  ivliat  we  have  agreed  to  call  Abong. 
This  concealment  of  the  truth  deceives  all  the  bats,  birds,  and 
insects,  which  are  always  keen  to  report  to  the  fish  all  the  sayings 
and  doings  of  men,  and,  as  Tuba  has  not  been  mentioned,  no 
warning  can  be  given.  On  one  occasion,  after  a  Tuba-fishing 
had  been  planned  for  the  morrow,  one  of  our  party  noticed  a 
man  with  a  bundle  of  roots,  which  he  recognised  as  Tuba,  and, 
following  the  usual  Bornean  custom  of  asking  a  question  when 
at  loss  for  a  subject  of  conversation,  inquired  what  was  in 
the  bundle.  The  reply  was  '  pakat  Abong.'  '  Indeed/  said  the 
questioner,  '  I  thought  it  looked  like  Tuba.'  At  this  mention  of 
the  fatal  word,  Avoe-begone  looks  passed  round  and  every  coun- 
tenance fell,  whereupon  the  Chief  explained :  *  We  Kenyahs  call 
that  root  Abong  when  we  wish  to  use  its  white  juice,  and  those 
animals  which  live  in  the  water  [avoiding  the  word  fis1i\  we  call 
"  Daun  "  \leavcs\  which  float  down  stream  ;  did  we  not  do  so, 
when  we  want  to  stupefy  them  with  this  juice,  those  good-for- 
nothing,  prying  beetles  called  "  Balli  sunggong,"  or  some  other 
friends  of  the  leaves  such  as  the  bats,  or  some  kind  of  bird, 
would  instantly  carry  the  news  of  our  intentions,  and  then  where 
would  be  the  use  of  all  of  our  preparations  ?  The  leaves  would 
quickly  disperse,  and  we  should  have  to  return  from  our  pleasant 
excursion  empty-handed  and  hungry.  They  might  even  invoke 
their  powerful  charm-working  leaf, — the  bony  Balira, — to  call 
down  heavy  rains  and  make  the  streams  rushing  torrents,  and 
then  good-bye  to  all  our  sport.  But  calling  things  by  their 
wrong  names,  we  fool  these  leaves  that  float  down  stream,  and 
have  a  good  day's  sport  out  of  them.' 

The  '  Balira,*  a  fish  full  of  bones  and  worthless  as  food,  is  sup- 
posed to  be  the  Dayong  of  the  fish.  The  legend  runs  that  the 
fishes,  aware  that  there  was  none  among  them  who  would  devote 
himself  to  working  charms,  determined  to  elect  a  Dayong.  No 
fish  could  be  found  to  accept  the  office  until,  finally,  the  Balira 
offered  his  services  on  condition  that  every  fish  should  give  him 
one  of  his  bones.  They  all  agreed,  with  the  result  that  now  the 
Balira  is  choke  full  of  bones,  and  a  very  skilful  worker  of  charms 
to  counteract  the  plans  of  mankind. 

The  boats  assemble  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  above  where 


1 88  HOME-LIFE  OF  BORNEO  HEAD-HUNTERS 

the  dam  has  been  built  in  the  river.  On  the  bank,  logs  are  placed, 
whereon  the  Tuba  roots  are  pounded  to  a  pulp,  which  is  then 
swashed  round  and  squeezed  out  in  some  of  the  smaller  canoes, 
which  have  been  half  filled  with  water.  The  men  pound,  keep- 
ing time  with  their  blows ;  and  again  and  again  the  pulp  is 
washed  in  the  canoes  until  every  drop  of  the  sticky,  white  juice 
has  been  extracted.  Then  whitish  clay  or  hme  is  mixed  with  the 
poison,  to  make  it  sink  and  spread  through  the  water.  Some- 
times as  much  as  two  or  three  hundred  weight  of  roots  are 
pounded  up  for  one  fishing,  the  amount,  of  course,  depending  on 
the  size  of  the  stream.  But  before  any  poison  is  cast  in,  a  cer- 
tain quantity  must  be  set  aside  for  the  Spirits.  One  of  the  party, 
therefore,  goes  a  httle  further  up  the  stream  to  some  insignificant 
pool  which  has  been  left  on  the  pebbly  bank,  (wherein — alas  ! 
for  poor  human  nature, — any  one  could  see  with  half  an  eye  that 
there  was  no  fish,)  and,  pouring  in  the  Tuba  juice,  he  calls  out: 
— '  O  Spirits  of  the  Rocks  !  of  the  Wood  !  of  the  Smooth,  Flat 
Stones !  of  the  Karangans !  of  the  Earth !  and  of  the  Leaves  ! 
here  in  this  pool  is  your  share  of  the  numberless  fish  !  Spoil  not 
our  sport  by  any  interference  !  ' 

After  this  generous  sacrifice  has  been  made  to  the  superior 
Powers,  all  the  boats  assemble  round  the  canoes  containing  the 
poison,  which  are  then  suddenly  tipped  over,  and  the  milk-white 
paste  sinks  to  the  bottom  and  contaminates  all  the  water.  One 
man  in  a  small  canoe  goes  in  advance  of  all  the  rest,  and  the  first 
fish  that  rises  to  the  surface  is  caught  in  a  scoop-net  and  thrown 
out  on  the  bank  ;  at  the  same  instant  the  man  again  shouts  to 
the  Spirits  that  this  fish  is  for  them,  and  that  they  ought  not 
grudge  the  small  share  that  will  probably  fall  to  the  lot  of  the 
party.  This  pious  duty  having  been  performed,  the  fun  at  once 
grows  fast  and  furious.  With  shouts  and  splashes  and  jeers  and 
laughter,  all  the  canoes  plunge  into  the  chase  after  the  fish  which 
rise  to  the  surface.  As  every  where  under  the  cope  of  heaven, 
here,  too,  the  funny  man  is  on  hand,  and  laughs  uproariously  at 
his  own  fun  after  he  has  excitedly  given  false  directions  as  to 
where  the  largest  fish  are  coming  up,  and  mocking  those  who 
miss  their  game ;  boats  get  entangled,  but  an  occasional  upset 
creates  no  ill  feeling  ;  the  occupants  are  soon  back  in  their  places, 
and  engrossed  with  .spearing  and  scooping  up  the  fish.     The  very 


FLAT    PALM-LEAF   HAT   WORN    BY   WOMEN. 

THE  CENTRAL  ORNAMENT  IS  COMPOSED  OF  YELLOW  AND  BLACK  BEADS. 
THE  SMALL,  WHITE  DECORATIONS,  IN  GROUPS  OF  THREE,  ARE  PORCELAIN 
SHIRT-BUTTONS,  THE  FIRST  EVIDENCE  OF  THE  ADVANCEMENT  OF  CIVILIZA- 
TION,  INTRODUCED  BY  'TRADE'S  UNFEELING  TRAIN'  AS  SUBSTITUTES  FOR 
COWRIE    SHELLS. 


/ 


V 


■^^.^ 


TUBA-FISHING 


189 


old  and  the  very  young  are  stationed  on  the  bank  to  catch  the 
small  fish  or  to  drive  the  larger  ones  from  their  hiding-places 
under  the  overhanging  roots  and  branches. 

So  the  whole  party  slowly  drift  down-stream,  heaping  their 
boats  with  the  stupefied  game  until  they  reach  the  dam,  where 
the  man  stationed  on  the  rattan  platform,  or  '  Bering,'  has  had  a 
busy  time  of  it,  too ;  not  only  has  he  had  to  see  to  it  that  no 
fish  escape,  but  he  has  also  to  keep  a  very  keen  look-out  for 
his  own  safety ;  many  of  the  fish  have  sharp,  poisonous  spines, 
which,  if  he  be  not  careful,  make  ugly  and  excruciatingly  pain- 
ful wounds  in  his  feet. 

When  all  the  fish  possible  have  been  caught,  the  party  dis- 
embark, and  fires  are  lit  beneath  green-wood  platforms  whereon 
the  fish  are  spread  after  having  been  split  and  salted  for  future 
use.  The  plumpest  and  largest  are  always  cooked  and  eaten  on 
the  spot  by  the  keen-set  fishermen,  who  revel,  even  to  gorg- 
ing, in  the  dainty  change  from  their  monotonous  daily  fare  of 
boiled  rice  and  dried  salted  fish. 

With  canoes,  and  hampers,  and  bodies  filled,  as  the  low 
descending  sun  sends  shafts  of  amber  light  down  the  long  reaches 
of  the  river,  the  fishers  again  embark,  and  lazily  dip  their  paddles 
in  the  glowing  water  as  the  current  drifts  them  on  their  home- 
ward way.  The  red-letter  day  is  over,  but  the  joy  of  it  remains 
for  ever  in  the  laughing  gossip  round  the  evening  hearth. 


A    KENYAH    GRAVE. 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Aban, — the  prefix  to  a  name  .    .    l8,  55 

Aban  Avit 55 

Aban  Avit's  veranda 57>  66 

Aban  Jau's  house 1 1 1 

Aban  Liah 116 

Aban  Liah's  final  illness 132 

Abun,  the  Chief  at  Long  Lama    .    .  69 

Admiration  denoted  by  clucks  .    .    .  loi 

Adom 26 

Affection  among  the  Borneans  .    .    .  141 

Amau, — Omen  birds  and  mammals  .  160 

Ambuscade,  a  Bornean 83 

Amok  at  Tama  Aping  Buling's     .    .  134 

Apoi 27 

Appreciation  of  photographs  ....  125 
Appreciation  of  foreign  songs    ...  27 
Arrack,  drinking  of,  at  naming  cere- 
mony      42 

Attainment  of  paradise 63 

Attempt  to  deceive  the  Omen  birds  .  28 

Ballo, — the  prefix  to  a  name  ...  18 
Bamboo,  burning  a  strip  of,  to  deter- 
mine the  giving  of  a  name  .  .  41 
Bamboo, ceremonial  useof  ashesof  .  41,42 
Bamboo  drinking-cups  ....  107,  108 
Bananas,  salt,  and  ginger  root  given 

at  a  Naming 35,  42 

Batu 76 

Beads,  Lukut  sekala 118 

Beads,  imitation  of  valuable  .    ...  118 

Belief  in  future  life 62 

Benefits  from  skulls  hung  in  veranda.  59 

Berawans, — Disposal  of  the  dead     .  139 

'  Bintang  sikopa' 62 

Bird's-nest  caves 178,  181 

Blackening  the  teeth 157 

Blari 27 

Blood,  indifference  to  sight  of  .    .    .  62 

Blood  of  a  fowl,  inspection  of  .    .    .  5° 


PAGE 

Blow-pipes,  the  making  of  .    .    .    .  113 

Blow-pipes  among  the  Punans  .    .    .  177 

Borrowing  a  head 88 

Breaking  a  taboo 115 

Bulan,  daughter  of  Tama  Bulan  .    .  29 

Bulun  matai,  Fields  of  the  Dead  .    .  61 

Burial  in  jars       139 

Burial  of  a  Chief 140 

Burial  custom  in  the  Naga  Hills  of 

Assam 144 

Burial  of  Punans 183 

Calling  the  name  to  revive  a  dying 

person 50 

Camphor  collecting 167 

Camphor   collecting,  pre-empting   a 

river 115 

Camphor  language 168 

Camphor,  reluctance  to  mention   .    .  17 

Cases  for  war-coats 8 

Casting  off  the  taboos  of  mourning  .  92 

Caves,  bird's  nest 178-181 

Ceremonial  fire 37 

Ceremonies    at    the    naming    of    a 

Chief 's  son 16 

Ceremonies  on  the  return  from  a  war 

expedition 90 

Changing  name  after  sickness  ...  16 

Chanting  of  returning  warriors  .  .  91 
Charm   to  divert  evil  Spirits  at  the 

Lelak  house 99 

Charms  for  abundant  crops  ....  164 
Charms  worked  with  portraits  of  a 

person      179 

Children  initiated  as  warriors  ...  92 

Cigarette-making 3° 

Clucking  to  denote  admiration  .  .  .  loi 
Communication  between  Omen  birds 

and  man 162 

Conjunctivitis 26 

191 


192 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Conveying  thanks  to  Omen  birds  .    .  78 
Cord  of  life, — Tebuliu  urip, — Nam- 
ing Ceremony  34 

Corpse,  presents  to  a 166 

Costume  of  Berawan  women  while 

mourning 139 

Costume  of  Kayans  and  Kenyahs  .  21 

Council  Negri 20 

Council  of  war 73 

Crops,  charms  for  abundant  ....  164 

Cupping  to  relieve  headache  ...  49 

Curled  shavings  on  sticks 168 

Cursing  a  house 136 

Daily  routine  of  household    ...  12 
Dancing   performed  by   women    of 

the  Lelak  household loi 

Dayong,  the,  in  case  of  illness  ...  12 
Dayong's  attempt  to  recall  a  depart- 
ing soul 50 

Dead   bodies    not    carried    through 

usual  doorways 52 

Dead  father's  name  not  mentioned  .  17 

Death  posts 67 

Decorated  house  posts 56 

Decorating  grave  of  dead  Chief  .    .  94 

Deer  may  not  be  cooked  in  the  house.  7 1 

Deng 27 

Depilation   of    eyebrows    and    eye- 
lashes    158 

Designs   tattooed  on  the   legs   and 
arms  of    Kayan   and    Kenyah 

women 14^^ 

Determining   a  name  by  burning  a 

loop  of  bamboo 41 

Disposal  of  the  dead, — Berawans  .  139 

Dogs 8 

Dreams,  auspicious  and  prohibitory, 

to  perforating  the  ears  ....  156 

Drinking  arrack  at  a  Naming   ...  42 

Drinking-cups,  bamboo ....     107,  108 

Drinking   a  toast 106 

Dulit,  Mount 144 

Ear-lobes,  elongated 153 

Ear  ornaments 155 

Ears,  perforation  of 156 

Early  training  of  a  Head-hunter  .    .  54 


PAGE 

Eating  of  the  flesh  of  deer  ....  166 

'  Eat  slowly  ' 80 

Edible  bird's-nests 178,  1 82 

Education  in  indifference  to  sight  of 

blood 62 

Eternal  life  in  the  jungle 64 

Etiquette  in  regard  to  weapons  .    .  56 

Etiquette  in  entering  a  house  .    .    .  I30 

Evening  chat  with  Aban  Avit  ...  57 
Evil   omens  in  pig's  liver  at  Aban 

Liah's  feast 121 

Evil  omen  in  pig's  liver   at  Tama 

Aping  Buling's 132 

Evil  Spirits  exorcised  by  fire  ...  28 
Evil  Spirits  exorcised  at  the  Nam- 
ing  ceremony 33.  39 

Evil  Spirits  exorcised  by  spitting  .  28 
Evil  Spirits  exorcised  when  a  dog 

touches  a  rice-mortar 165 

Evil    Spirits   warded   off  by   gong- 
beating     34 

Eyelashes  and  eyebrows  depilated  158 
Exhortation  to  the  sacrificial  pig  at 

Aban  Liah's 120 

Exorcism  of  Evil  Spirits     .    .    28,  "^^^  39 

Facsimile  of  valuable  beads  ...  118 

Family  rooms  [Latnin) 9 

Fat  pork  feast  at  Naming  ceremony.  44 
Fear  of  making  life-like  images  or 

pictures 56 

Feast  at  Tama  Aping  Buling's  ...  133 

Feast  after  return  of  war  party  ...  95 

Feast,  injunction  at  beginning  of  .    .  47 

Feasting  of  a  war  party 80 

Female  tattooers 151 

Fields  of  the  dead 61 

Fine  for  violating  a  permantong  .  .  12 
Fire,  a  means  of  communicating  with 

Omen  birds 4,  78 

Fire,  ceremonial 37 

Fire-drill 37 

Fireplaces 4 

Fire-saw 37 

Fish  not  spoken  of  before  a  Tuba 

fishing 17,  186 

Flattening  heads 1 58 

Food II 


INDEX 


193 


Food  of  Punans 175 

Freeing  women  from  mourning  re- 
strictions    93 

Future  life,  Belief  in  a 62 

Game  of  tag  in  the  water  ....  14 

Gathering  edible  bird's-nests   ...  182 

Gau 27 

Ghost's  clutch 54 

Ginger  root,  salt,  and  bananas  given 

at  Naming  ceremony  .  .  .  35,  42 
Gong-beating  to  counteract  effects  of 

photography 180 

Gong-beating  to  ward  off  evil  Spirits.  34 
Government's   pig   at   the    feast   at 

Tama  Aping  Buling's  ....  131 

Grave,  decoration  of  a  Chief's   ...  94 

Greeting,  absence  of  signs  of  .    .    .  142 

Grippe  in  Borneo 25 

Grippe  at  Tama  Bulan's 49 

Guest  chambers  in  Lelak  house  .    .  102 

Handling  of  skulls 65 

Harvest  festival 164 

Hawk-men, — Laki  Niho 161 

Head,  borrowing  a 88 

Head-flattening 158 

Head-hunter,  early  training  of  a  .    .  54 

Head-hunters,  mark  of  successful     .  147 

Head-hunting,  Origin  of 59 

Head-hunting,  punishment  for  .    .    .  69 
Horn-bill,  Image  of,  hung  with  ciga- 
rettes      31 

Hose,  Dr.  Charles,  invitation  to  peo- 
ple of  Batang  Kayan 109 

House-building 'i  3>  4 

House-building,  sacrifice 3 

House-posts,  decorated 56 

Humble  attitude  of  women    ....  171 

Husking  rice 7 

Iban  ear  ornaments 156 

Iban  tattooing 148 

111    luck     consigned    to    miniature 

boat 179 

Images,  fear  of  making  life-like    .    .  5^ 
Image  of  horn-bill  hung  with  ciga- 
rettes      31 

13 


Images  made  to  work  evil  as  they 

decay 93 

Importance  of  a  name 18 

Indemnity, —  Usut 112,163 

Indifference  to  sight  of  blood    ...  62 

Inflammation  of  the  eyes 26 

Influence    of    skulls    hung   in    the 

veranda 65 

Initiation  of  children  as  warriors  .    .  92 

Injunction  at  beginning  of  feast  .    .  47 

Ink  for  tattooing 152 

Inspection    of  pig's    liver    at    Aban 

Liah's  feast 120 

Inspection  of  spattering  of  blood  from 

a  fowl 50 

Instruction  in  the  art  of  defence  .  .  75 
Invocation   of  the   sacred  pig  at   a 

Naming 40 

Invocation  to   the   Spirits   before  a 

Tuba  fishing iSS 

Iron   given  for  infringement  of  per- 

mantong 163 

Isit,  the  Omen-bird 167 

Jamma 110 

Jamma's    curse     on    Tama    Aping 

Buling's  house 136 

Jamma's  feigned  death  .    .                •  ^35 

Jawa 116,  130 

Jawa,  Violation  of  rules  of    ....  129 

Jawa,  or  peace-making 97 

Joke,  a  Bornean 1 28 

Journey  to  Tama  Bulan's 24 

Juman 68 

Jungle,  the 64 

Kaluri,  kaledi,  or  keleeri  (musical 

instrument) 6 

Kaluri  among  Naga  tribes  ...  6 

Kayan  songs Si 

Kayan  war  dances loi 

Kayans  and  Kenyahs 21 

Kayans  and  Kenyahs,  Costume  of  .  21 

Kenyah  lunar  calendar 31 

Kayu  urip, —  Tree  of  life 34 

Killing  of  Tinggi  the  murderer  .  68 

Kilup  breaks  the  rules  of  Jawa  .    .  129 

Kissing,  the  Bornean  custom  ...  13 


194 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Kromong,  a  musical  instrument  .    .  no 

Kiikenthal,  Dr.   Willy 105 

Lack  of  affection 141 

Laki  Jok  Orang 106 

Laki  La 53 

Laki  Niho, — Hawk-men 161 

Laki  Oi,   Kayan   Prometheus  ...  37 

Laki  Pesong, — the  Fire-saw  ....  37 

Lali,  or  permantong 160 

Lali  of  the  pregnant  rice 164 

Lali  imposed  on  unnamed  child  .    .  32 

Lali  of  mourning  removed  ....  94 

Lamin,  or   family  rooms 9 

Language  of  camphor  collectors  .    .  168 
Laram — meaning  cool — idiomatic  use 

of 39 

Legend  about  origin  of  head-hunting.  59 

Lelak  clan  or   tribe 99 

Lelak,  guest  chamber     , 102 

Leppu  Anans,  a  small  clan  or  tribe.  124 

Leput, — blow-pipes — Manufacture  of.  113 

Leron  clan,  Jawa  ceremonies  ...  117 

Lijow,   Tama  Bulan's  son  ....  42 

Lishun 26 

Love    tokens  before  a  war  expedi- 
tion    75 

Lueng's  death  at  Tama  Bulan's  .    .  49 

Lukut  Sekala,  valuable  beads  ...  1 18 

Lunar  calendar 31 

Ma  Obat 84 

Madong 7^ 

Manin, — meaning  warm — idiomatic 

use  of 39 

Manufacture   of  Sumpits   or    blow- 
pipes       115 

Mark  of  successful  Head-hunter  .    .  147 
Marksmanship  with  the  blow-pipe  .  177 
Maternal  advice  before  a  war  expe- 
dition     76 

Meals II 

Medicine,  Rhinoceros  used  as  .    .    .  176 
Method  of  burial  among  the  Bera- 

wans 139 

Method  of  tattooing 151 

Methods  of  resuscitating  a  fainting 

woman 49 


PAGE 

Miniature  boat  to  carry  away  ill-luck.  1 79 

Moon,   Phases  of 31 

Mosquitoes 23 

Mourning  for  a  dead  Chief  ....  139 

Mourning,  restrictions  of,  removed  .  92 
Mourning,  restrictions  of,  removed 

from  women 93 

Mount  Dulit 144 

Musa — the  Fire-saw 37 

Music  of  the  kaluri 7 

Music  of  the  kromong in 

Mutilation  of  the  ears 155 

Naga  Hills,  burial  customs  in    .    .  144 

Nalika, — the  Fire-drill 37 

Name,  determination  of 41 

Name  of  dead  father  not  mentioned.  17 

Name,  Reluctance  in  telling  ....  16 

Name,   Importance  of 18 

Names  of  tattoo  designs 147 

Names,  Paraphrases  of 18 

Names  of  relatives  not  mentioned  .  17 

Naming  ceremonies 16 

Naming  ceremonies,  fat  pork  feast    .  44 
Naming  ceremonies,  exhortation  of 

sacred  pig 40 

Naming  a  Kenyah  child 32 

New  Fire 37 

Niah  village  and  bird's-nest  caves  .  178 

Night  before  a  war  expedition  ...  32 

Nicknames  of  very  young  children  .  74 

Nipa  palms 23 

Oaths  on  a  tiger's  tooth 133 

Object  of  a  hunt  not  mentioned  .    .  17 
Objection    to    having    idols    photo- 
graphed     180 

Observation  of  Omens  before  clear- 
ing of  the  jungle 162 

Occupations  of  the  Punans  ....  175 

Omen  animals 161 

Omen  birds  and  mammals — amau    .  160 

Omen  birds,  attempts  to  deceive  .    .  28 
Omen  birds,  communication  between 

man  and  the 162 

Omen  birds  conveying  thanks  to  .    .4,  78 

Omen  bird, — Isit 167 

Omens  in  pig's  liver 43 


INDEX 


195 


PAGE 

Omens  in  pig's  liver  at  Aban  Liah's 

feast 121 

Omens  in  pig's  liver  at  Tama  Aping 

Bulings  feast 132 

Omen  birds  of  house-building  ...  4 

Operation  of  wet-cupping 49 

Orang  Kaya  Perkassa 178 

Oratory 73.  123 

Ordeal  of  a  feast  of  raw  pork  ...  44 

Origin  of  head-hunting 59 

Origin  of  Punans,  Legend  ....  183 

Ornaments  worn  in  the  ears  .    .    .    .  155 

Ornamentation  of  the  teeth  ....  157 

♦PakatAbong' 186 

Paradise,  attainment  of 63 

Parangs,   taken   off    on    entering   a 

veranda 56 

Paraphrases   of  names 18 

Peace-making,  or  Jawa 97 

Perforation  of  the  ears 155 

Permantong  or  Lali 160 

Permantong  before  house -building  .  4 
Permantong,  breaking  of  a    ....  115 
Permantong  during  sickness  .    ...  12 
Permantong  during  camphor  collect- 
ing      169 

Permantong,  fine  for  violation  of  .    .  12 

Permantong  of  a  room 12 

Permantong  in  a  Kayan  house  ...  166 

Permantong,  infringement  of    ...  163 

Personal    embellishment I46 

Pestles  used  in  husking  rice  ....  7 

Phases  of  the  moon 31 

Photographing  the  Punans  ....  174 
Photographing  idols,  objection  to  .  .  180 
Photography,  evil  effects  of  ...  .  34 
Photography,  superstitions  in  regard  to  1 79 
Pictures  of  animals  always  conven- 
tionalised    56 

Pig's  liver,  Omens  consulted  in  .    .  43 

Pipes,  tobacco 171 

Planting  the  comer-post  of  a  house  .  3 

Platforms  on  the  veranda 6 

Plugs  of  brass  in  the  teeth     ....  157 
Portrait   of  a  woman  taken  by  Dr. 

Kvikenthal 105 

Posts  recording  head-hunts    .    .        2,  67 


Pre-empting  a  river  for  camphor  col- 
lecting    115 

Prefixes  of  names.  Meaning  of  .    .    .  55 
Preliminary  to  speech-making  ...  122 
Preparation  for  war  expedition  ...  74 
Presents  to  guests  at  Naming  cere- 
mony      55 

Presents  to  a  corpse 166 

Presents    sent   to   tribes  on   Batang 

Kayan  River 108 

Primitive  customs  revived  in  all  cere- 
monies    90 

Pronouncing    a    name    for    the    first 

time  at  a  Naming 42 

Propitiation  of  Spirits  before  tattoo- 
ing      151 

Propriety  in  broaching  a  subject  for 

discussion     .........  73 

Punans 170 

Punans, — burial  customs 183 

Punans'  bill  of  fare 175 

Punans'  fear  of  water 177 

Punans'  method  of  preparing  tapioca.  176 

Punans,  relationship  to  Lx)ng  Wats  .  183 

Punans,  story  of  their  origin  ...  183 

Punans,  Village  of  .    .......  173 

Punans,    Village   of,   in    bird's-nest 

caves 184 

Punishment  for  head-hunting  ...  69 

Purification  after  unlucky  journey  .  28 

'  Put,' — a  blow-pipe,  Manufacture  of.  113 

Rack  on  which  parangs  are  hung  .  56 

Raw  pork  feast 44 

Reasons  for  obtaining  heads  ....  6$ 
Recalling  the  soul  of  a  dying   per- 
son      50,  51 

Relationship   of    Punans    to    Long 

Wats 183 

Religion  of  the  Bomeans,  Negative.  64 
Reluctance  to  mention  the  name  of 

the  object  of  a  search  ....  17 

Retaliation  for  the  killing  of  Tinggi.  69 

Return  of  a  war  expedition  ....  90 
Return   to  earth  of  Spirits   of    the 

dead I40 

Rhinoceros  used  as  medicine  ...  176 

Rice  husking 7 


196 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Rice  mortars 7 

Rice   mortars   protected  during  the 

Permantong  Padi 165 

Rivers  pre-empted  for  camphor  col- 
lecting       115 

River  scenery 23 

Rivers  tabooed,  sign  of 167 

Rules  of  Tama  Bulan's  house  ...  20 

Runnmg  amuck  ...        134 

Sacrifice    of    slave    girl — house- 
building    3 

Sacrifice  of  slave  girl  at  burial  of  a 

Chief 140 

Sacrifice     of    slave    for    education 

of  boys 62 

Sacrifice  of  pig  on  arrival  of  a  Peace 

party 1 26 

Salt,  ginger  root,  and  bananas  given 

at  a  Naming 35,  42 

Second  day's  ceremony  of  Naming  .  36 
Serious   consequences   to  us  on  ac- 
count of  Lueng's  death  ....  52 
Shaving  the  hair  after  mourning  .    .  92 
Shavings,  curled,  on  sticks     ....  168 

Shy  Punan  maiden 172 

Sign  of  permantong  of  a  river  ...  167 
Sign  of  permantong  in  case  of  sick- 
ness    12 

Singing  among  the  Kayans  ....  81 

Skulls,  the  handling  of 65 

Skulls,  influence  of,  hung  in  veranda  65 

Skulls  in  Aban  Avit's  veranda  ...  58 

Slaves,  sacrifice  of 62,  140 

Sleeping-closets 10 

Smearing  face  and  body  with  soot  as 

sign  of  mourning 139 

'  Snappang,'  the  name  for  a  gun  .    .  68 

Soap 13 

Songs,  appreciation  of  foreign   ...  27 

Speech-making 73 

Speech-making  at  Aban  Liah's   .    .  122 

Spitting  to  banish  evil  Spirits  ...  28 
Spitting   on   the    hair   cut   off    after 

mourning 93 

Sprinkling  with  water  at  a  Naming  .  39 

Start  of  a  war  party 77 

Sticks  cut  into  curled  shavings  .    .  168 


Stinging  ants 177 

Stretching  the  lobes  of  the  ears  .    .  153 

Substitution  of  names   .    .  17,  18,  55,  186 

Summit  of  Mount  Dulit 144 

Sumpits, — blow-pipes  — Manufacture 

of 113 

Superstition   with  regard   to  photo- 
graphy       179 

Table  manners 11 

Taboo  or  permantong 160 

Taboo,  the  breaking  of 115 

Tag  in  the  water,  Game  of  ...    .  14 

•Tama' 18 

Tama  Aping  Buling's  house  ....  127 

Tama  Balan  Deng's  house    ....  136 

Tama  Bulan 18,  21 

Tama  Bulan's  son 30 

Tama  Bulan's  farewell  to  the  Peace 

party 109 

Tama  Liri's  house 103 

Tama  Talun 27 

Tapioca,  Method  of  preparation  .    ,  176 

Tattoo  designs,  names  of  .    .        .    .  147 

Tattooers,  female 151 

Tattooing,  propitiation  of  spirits  be- 
fore    151 

Tattooing  of  Kayan  men 146 

Tattooing  of    Kayan    and   Kenyah 

women 148 

Tattooing  needle  and  ink 152 

'  Tebok   bulu,' — bamboo   cup    .    .    .  107 

'  Tebuku  Tali '  (note) 34 

'  Tebuku  urip,' — cord  of  life    ...  34 

Teeth,  Ornamentation  of 157 

Terluat 27 

Tiger  skin  regarded  with  awe  ...  133 

Tiger  skin  used  in  uttering  a  curse  .  136 

Tiger's  tooth,  oath  sworn  on     ...  133 

'  Tigga  ' — charms  for  the  crops  .    .  164 

Timidity  of  Punans 173 

Tina — a  prefix  to  a  name 18 

Tinggi,  a  murderer 68 

Toasts,  the   Bornean  custom  of  giv- 
ing      105 

Tobacco  growing  wild 183 

Tobacco  pipes 171 

'  Toh  Lali ' 163 


INDEX 


197 


Tokong,  the  father  of  head-hunting.  59 

Tone  of  voice  of  Punans 174 

Tree  of  life, — Kaya  Urip — Naming 

ceremony 34 

Tuba  berabut,  and  Tuba  ja  jaran  .    .  185 

Tuba-fishing 185 

Tuba-fishing,  fish  not  mentioned  be- 
fore   17,  186 

Tuba-fishing,  invocation  of  spirits    .  188 

Unfavourable  sign  in  pig's  liver 

at  Aban  Liah's  feast 121 

Unnamed  children 18,  32 

Unselfish  love  not  a  trait  of  the  Bor- 

neans 141 

'  Usut,'  The  rite  of  giving  .    .    .    112,  163 

Valuable    beads, — Lukut  Sekala  .  118 
Verandas    of    Kayan    and   Kenyah 

houses 4 

Violation  of  the  rules  of  'Jawa'  .    .  129 


Wailing  for  the  dead 52,  138 

War-coats,  cases  for 8 

War  dances loi 

War  expedition 67 

War  expedition,  ceremonies  on  re- 
turn of 90 

War  expedition,  preparation  for    .    .  74 
War  party,  the  feasting  of  a  ...    .  80 
Water,  Use  of,  in  Naming  ceremony.  39 
Wawa  monkey  sacred  to  some  fami- 
lies     55 

Weapons,  etiquette  in  regard  to    .    .  56 

Wet  cupping 49 

Why  the  Balira  is  a  bony  fish  ...  187 

Wild  tobacco 183 

Wit  of  Borneans 128 

Women  dressing  as  men 164 

Women,  humble  attitude  of  ...    .  171 

Wooden  discs  as  ear-ornaments  .    .  155 

Words  of  invitation  to  a  feast  ...  80 


1 


'S/V 


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THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

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THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
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